


Digimon Adventure Kyoto: D-4 Project

by Horace_Scheveningen



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Gen, Post-Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (Movie), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 114,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27960215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horace_Scheveningen/pseuds/Horace_Scheveningen
Summary: A year after DALEK, Digimon appearances have surged around the world. Through much research on partnerships after what happened to Taichi and Yamato, Koshiro begins the D-4 Project. With Kyoto a hotspot for Digimon activity, he decides to ask the DigiDestined there to be the core for his new project. Getting help from the original DigiDestined along the way, they rise to the challenge of keeping Kyoto safe while juggling their ordinary lives and relationships. [A spin-off focused on OCs, Adventure and 02 Cast in supporting roles]
Kudos: 2





	1. Daikichiyama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Reader,
> 
> Please note that I have just revised prose and formatting of the first chapter to give the story a stronger opening; though nothing substantial has changed.
> 
> I would like to thank everyone reading this or has given this story a chance at any point. I understand reading a primarily OC story is always risky since the quality is normally poor and lacks the emotional attachment to the established characters.
> 
> Ultimately, this work is a pretty serious attempt at writing. Any feedback on prose, voice, pacing, plot, etc is always welcomed since this is also an exercise for me to improve my writing.
> 
> I will attempt to update at least twice a week. Although that schedule can be quite variable due to the length of each chapter.
> 
> Expected updates are always on either Wednesday or Thursday, and on the Weekend.
> 
> Horace,
> 
> 1/1/21

**Chapter 1: Daikichiyama**

Mamoru strolled along the winding path that led up to the observation deck of Mount Daikichi. Though calling it that was generous. It was a small mound compared to the mountains that surrounded Kyoto on three sides. His walk to the observation deck was the only thing he looked forward to on the weekends; admiring the moss-cover forest floor and the vibrant Japanese Maples showing the first signs of darkening leaves. It was a nice change of pace from his weekly life spent alternating between books and computer screens. Floating over his shoulder was a collection gears, made of a metal he had long given up attempting to determine. They were continually spinning, emitting a soft hum and the occasional clink. They were slowly revolving as the entire mass bobbed gently, following Mamoru as he ascended along the path.

Despite living in Uji, still considered a part of the Kyoto Metropolitan Area, Mamoru elected to stay in the Yoshida Dormitory to be closer to Kyoto University. His work as a first-year Faculty of Letters student had consumed his entire life just one semester in. Every hour was precious; both needing and wanting to spend the entirety of them studying. However, it was impossible to bring his entire life from Uji to campus. Yet, some somethings were impossible to leave behind.

He had thought of bringing Hagurumon to college with him, but it was entirely out of the question. When he had first met his Digimon partner during elementary school, it was already difficult enough for his parents to accept. With all the appearances of Digimon in the real world in the decade since then, it had only become harder for the public to accept them. People with Digimon partners were still few and relatively young. The oldest Digidestined were just now becoming adults. Even as he walked up the Daikichiyama path, the few strangers he passed by along the way always momentarily stared at him and Hagurumon before politely averting their gaze when his eyes turned towards them.

It was understandable to be curious about a young man being accompanied by a floating mass of gears. But Mamoru could tell that only some of the odd looks he got were out of this natural curiosity. Most appeared to be looks of worry, or in rare cases, even disgust. And who could blame them? Each time the news reported on a Digimon appearance, it was covering the damage they caused.

Worse, the only apparent way to stop these rampaging beasts were other monsters who were command by teenagers. The push back in public discourse was inevitable. Apparently one of the original chosen children had a parent working with the Fuji TV Network. Though no matter how much Mr Ishida tried to give the public insight into the nature of Digimon, the message that they were intelligent, and even that they partnered humans, never quite got through. Mamoru let out a sigh. There was nothing he could do about this, not with the path he was on in university.

"Something wrong, Mamoru?" There was the sound of servos moving as the Hagurumon spoke, his voice carrying a slight static.

"It's nothing," Mamoru replied, brushing aside his own thoughts as well. Even when he was not working, his mind continued deliberating, eschewing him any rest. "I'm sorry, the only people we meet these days just stare at us."

"I don't mind" Hagurumon replied. There was an audible increase in the speed of his gears. A sure sign that he was genuine in his statement. "Your Mom is always nice to me when she goes to your room."

"That's good." Mamoru smiled.

If he were talking to a human, there would be some doubt in his mind. But despite having lived at least a decade, Hagurumon still seemed incapable of lying, at least in any convincing manner. His partner seemed to be doing okay, staying at home for most of the week. He was able to use LINE on his computer at home to contact Mamoru on a whim. It was difficult to tell if this was because Hagurumon was exceptionally intelligent or due to his nature as a machine type Digimon.

"Mamoru?" Hagurumon began. "I do miss meeting other Digimon. Don't you miss seeing the DigiDestined?" Mamoru could hear the slowing of Hagurumon's gears as he spoke. "Why don't we do that again? At least sometimes."

"I need time to study. I thought you were also interested in what I was doing? You're still able to read all my notes I make for school on my PC, right?" It was an unconventional way to keep someone entertained, but Mamoru did not question it since it worked.

"I can, I can, don't worry." Hagurumon was revving up again. "It's just… Don't you feel a bit lonely too?"

"Sometimes I guess," It was hard for Mamoru to admit. "but not when I'm with you." He said, attempt to preempt the obvious follow-up question.

Hagurumon could not live in his dorm room. That lesson had been learnt in his last year of high school. Mamoru's ability to study grounded to a halt with his partner around, which made last year's exams a tedious affair. The Digimon began to bounce up and down in the air, the answer seeming to have satisfied him. There was something about Hagurumon that had remained the same for years. This child-like, jovial nature despite having experienced the same things as Mamoru over the years.

Mamoru's mind fluttered to a thought that not crossed it in some time. He wondered how the other DigiDestined in Kyoto handled having Digimon partners. There was a LINE group where he was active until his later years of High School, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. The most remarkable memory he had was a girl who brought her Salamon to school. She was lucky, having a Digimon that looked so docile. Some of the other students even fawned over the little Digimon. In a pinch, she just passed off her Digimon as a soft toy to the teachers. It was impossible to do that with Hagurumon. His mechanical appearance and the fact that he could levitate was too much to conceal or even explain. Though he might have just received a solution for this.

"Hey, Hagurumon? Would you mind being inside a digital server?"

They were almost at the summit of Mount Daikichi when his partner abruptly stopped. Hagurumon was clearly in thought, even though there was only a slight expression on his face to indicate that. Mamoru could hear the cogs and gears turning away furiously.

"How would that work?" Hagururmon replied apprehensively. "Being in a computer is less comfortable than being in the real world."

"You won't be stored in any memory cache if that's what you're worried about. It's a sort of server that creates an area that mimics the digital world. It's slightly bigger than my room if you are worried about space."

"So that means the device I will be on will contain the server?"

"Pretty much. You'll basically be on my phone instead of just messaging me through LINE from the house."

"Wow Mamoru, I didn't know you knew how to do that." Hagurumon was bouncing, gears spinning rapidly.

Mamoru remembered the first time he saw this; he was afraid that Hagurumon would spin himself apart. All their battles together since then had thought him otherwise. Although it seemed obvious in hindsight from his Digimon's abilities, Hagurumon defied all known physics and was accordingly incredibly durable.

"Well I don't, obviously. I mean, you read my coursework. I'm at the Faculty of Letters. I don't know any of the technicals for the digital stuff."

"Still, it's brilliant! How are we going to do it?"

"You remember Izumi Koshiro-san right? He's one of the original DigiDestined we met a few years ago."

"I think so?" Hagurumon had one of his metal appendages that would be best describe as an eyebrow raised. "He is partnered with a Tentomon right?"

"Yeah, that's him. he's now the head of his own company, the Izumi Corporation."

"Isn't he only three years older than you?"

"Izumi-san is a genius, though; he finished his degree at Keio University in just two years."

"Aren't you pretty smart too Mamoru? The DigiDestined in Kyoto used to say that." Hagurumon was always trying to cheer him up. Though Mamoru was unsure about how to feel about it.

"They just said that because I was doing well at school and wanted to go to Kyoto University. It's hard but nothing like what Izumi-san did. I'm still just another student now, even if it is a good university."

Mamoru turned to see the view from the peak of Mount Daikichi. He could see Uji Bridge and the rest of the city on the south bank of the river against the amber sky. Dusk was setting in, and the city was slowly beginning to light up. It was a view he never tired of despite having lived in Uji his whole life. Visiting the other spectacular areas of Kyoto hardly seemed necessary when he could admire his hometown like this.

"Can we see the house from here?" Hagurumon asked.

"I think so, it's behind the Byodoin Temple over there." Mamoru pointed towards their left, showing Hagurumon the crimson Asagiri Bridge that led toward the temple across the river.

"Anyway, Izumi-san contacted me the other day about a new Digivice he was developing. It combines the smartphone his company makes with the functions of our D-3. It's not very imaginative, but he's calling it the D-4. It contains the server that will allow you to follow me around." The Digimon began to do small circles in the air around Mamoru, clanking away excitedly.

"Wait, Mamoru," Hagurumon asked, coming to an abrupt halt. "How much does it cost? That's why you're asking me, right? You already spent most of your allowance on books."

"Right, you can also see the budget sheet on my computer." Mamoru said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I wanted to see how excited you were about this—"

"No, no, no!" Hagurumon interrupted, whirling up his gears to add to his raised voice. "A new phone cost a lot, and this sounds even more expensive. It's okay I'll just want at home until the weekends."

"It's free Hagurumon. I just need to help Izumi-san with his D-4 Project."

"What's that?" Hagurumon was clearly interested again. Despite his protest and concern, Mamoru could tell that his partner wanted to accompany him badly. After all, Hagurumon only had him. He did not even have the luxury of having friends from university like Mamoru.

"Remember how there were messages on the LINE group about Digimon appearing? Whoever was free would rush down to see what they could do?"

"Yeah, that was fun." Hagurumon said as he did a small barrel roll in the air. Although it meant fighting other Digimon, and sometimes getting hurt, his partner always seemed excited at the prospect. There was a kind of natural battle instinct within Digimon, or at the very least within Hagurumon.

"It was pretty informal since we all just added each other after Izumi-san told us who was a DigiDestined in the area. Now he wants to make it an organised group."

"That means you won't have time to study, right?"

"Yeah, I won't be able to do as much. I probably will have to cut back to doing just what is needed for the courses." Mamoru rested his elbows on the railing, his head now leaning to one side resting on his palm. "But if you want to, I'll do it. I feel bad just leaving you at home all the time."

"I don't know…" Hagurumon had his jaw clenched, torn between the two choices. Mamoru could see why it was so tempting. He would not only get to follow him around, but they would also get to meet other people and Digimon again. Hagurumon was still considerate, letting Mamoru decide.

"I'm sorry, Hagurumon," Mamoru sighed, "It's strange to like studying. If someone else was your partner, they wouldn't hesitate. School for them is just something they have to do well enough at." Though Mamoru kept the fact that he was at times still struggling in his course from his Digimon. If he really were a genius, it would not be a problem.

Hagurumon let out a low electrical whine. "You should do what makes you happy too. I'm still happy to be your partner."

"I'll think about it okay?" Mamoru said as he petted Hagurumon, feeling the rattling of the machinery within him.

Mamoru stared off into the fading sunset, admiring the scarlet hews as they gradually dimed. The summer heat had finally waned, and what felt like a refreshing autumn breeze was beginning to blow in. It felt selfish not to agree to Izumi's proposal. He would make Hagurumon happy and contribute to something important. Though he had only met Izumi once and spoke a few more times over LINE, Mamoru was sure that he would only start this kind of project if it were essential.

At least this endeavour was not solely placed onto him. Izumi told him he had contacted another first-year university student to help organise the DigiDestined in Kyoto for the D-4 Project. He roughly remembered what Hiroki was like from their high school days. They met a few times and exchanged some words, though Mamoru never kept track of it. It had only been two years, yet he could not remember his last name. Mamoru was more interested in fighting the Digimon that appeared before it got out of control. Socialising was not a priority, especially when it was awkward talking to people he hardly met.

Mamoru continued to look out over the city in thought as dusk turned to twilight. The birds had stopped singing, and a hush seemed to come over Dakichiyama. The cold night air rolled in, helping him relax. Mamoru decided to just enjoy his break with Hagurumon. Izumi said he would only be coming to Kyoto in two weeks for a business trip. The details of the D-4 project would only need to be finalised then. He still had a few days before he was due to meet Hiroki to discuss organising everyone. There was still time to think over how involved he would be. Maybe something would become more apparent then.

Foliage rustled from the path below the observation deck drawing Mamoru immediate irritation as it the night's silence was broken. Shouting from what sounded like younger teenagers as they ran about added to the disturbance. The calming sight of Uji at sunset was now ruined by some obnoxious people. The noises escalated as gravel was kicked by their footsteps. They must have run off the path. Though Mamoru was irate, he managed to internally centre himself again. It was difficult to really fault them since he had been like that only a few years ago. He was probably barely any older than them.

Then he heard a sickening wooden crack. He looked down to see one of the maples waver before falling over. There was a damp thud as the trunk hit the moss-covered floor below. Mamoru jerked up from being bent over the railing. There was more shouting and what even seemed like grunting below. His anger at the stupidity of their actions quickly evaporated. Someone could have been seriously hurt. Yet it did not sound like they were in control of whatever was happening down there.

"Come on, Hagurumon." Mamoru said, raising his voice. "I don't know what the hell they are playing at, but we need to make sure no one is hurt."

Hagurumon buzzed in acknowledgement as he hurriedly glided along behind Mamoru who was already running back down the path.

There were splinters showered all along the path near the stump of the fallen maple. How did they manage to fell an entire tree? It looked like they had managed to bash through its trunk with sheer brute force.

"Mamoru—" Hagurumon swivelled his body toward the forest. "There are Digimon nearby."

"Alright, let's be on our guard."

He could not see very far ahead in the underbrush, daylight having almost entirely faded. There was sweat running down his forehead and on the nape of his neck. There was a mixture of excitement and fear within him, having not experienced this much adrenaline for years. If those kids were being chased by a Digimon, they could be in serious trouble.

Mamoru arrived at a clearing to see a boy, no older than twelve or thirteen, and a girl in a brown sailor fuku uniform. In front of them was a vaguely humanoid figure that was hunched over. It had a pair of horns protruding from its silvery hair, long enough to be called a mane. It grunted, raising its wooden club into the fading light revealing green skin. Mamoru did not need to bring up his D-3 for reference, it was clearly an Ogremon.

"Hey get back!" Mamoru yelled at them. "It's really dangerous."

"We know!" The girl replied immediately, not bothering to look at him. "We've got him cornered. Let's do this Susumu."

"Yeah!" The boy was just as enthusiastic. "Koromon shinka!"

Mamoru saw a small pink ball leap out of the boy's cradled arms. As it flew, the Koromon emitted a blazing white light and landed as little, black, bipedal reptilian. Mamoru could see the light of a small screen in his left hand. He had a Digivice as well. Whipping out his own, its screen lit up, informing him that the boy's Digimon was a BlackAgumon.

"Agumon! Hit him with a Pepper Breath." The BlackAgumon leapt towards the Ogremon unleashing a blast of fire from its mouth.

The Ogremon swatted aside the fireball with its empty left hand. It was as if the attack was nothing more than a puff of hot air. The BlackAgumon continued to charge forward, claws raised hoping to slash its foe. The Orgemon was brazen, not bothering to raise its guard, winding back its club leaving his centre wide open. The boy shouted in excitement as the BlackAgumon closed the distance, poised to deliver an uppercut to the open Digimon.

There was another sickening crack. This time it was the sound of wood colliding with flesh. The Ogremon had effortlessly batted aside BlackAgumon sending it flying past the boy.

"Agumon!" The boy cried, pivoting on his heels in the direction of his partner.

There was a faint glow from where the Digimon had landed. The strike was strong enough to force BlackAgumon to devolve back into Koromon. Mamoru wondered what the boy could have been thinking going up against a champion level Digimon with a rookie levelled one.

Theoretically, an experienced rookie level Digimon could prevail. But it was almost impossible at his age for his partner to have done that much battling. Even then it was difficult, Digimon grew exponentially stronger as they evolved. Mamoru was not confident he could prevail without Digivoling despite having Hagurumon as a partner for over a decade.

"Noriko! Now's your chance!" The boy shouted across the clearing.

Mamoru snapped back to the girl and saw a Digimon materialise in front of her. Clad in a dark blue cloak and pointed hat, it wielded a staff tipped with a golden sun ornament. A Wizardmon had been cloaked invisible the whole time. They actually had a decent plan.

"Wizardmon, Thunder Squall."

The Digimon lifted his staff, firing forth a bolt of lightning striking Ogremon centre mass. Mamoru expected it to fell the brute in a single blow, but it appeared only to wind him. Though it looked excruciating. This girl did not have much battle experience either, judging from the direct attack being unable to knock out her opponent. Though they were experienced enough for her partner to Digivolve to the champion level. The Ogremon stumbled around, reeling from the attack, howling in a mixture of pain and anger.

"Get him!" The girl yelled, both her fist clenched and raised to her chest in excitement.

Wizardmon flew in, gliding inches above the ground. Reversing his staff, it struck hilt first into the forehead of the Ogrermon. That girl must have been sure that she could take out the Digimon with that blow. She had placed Wizardmon in a precarious position. The Ogremon dropped its club, on its knees from the force of the impact. Clutching its face, the battle looked to be won if another strike could be delivered.

The girl ran forward towards Wizardmon cheering without sealing her victory. On reflex, he reached out before as he opened his mouth to shout a warning. Before he could make a sound, the Ogremon struck the wizard with a backhanded blow, swatting him aside like a ragdoll. The wild Digimon picked up its club and crouched down, preparing to leap at Noriko.

There was only one option left. "Hagurumon, Cog Crusher," A black gear coated with brilliant mustard coloured electricity shot forward smashing into the Ogremon.

"Push it back, Gear Crash," Hagurumon surged forward, sparking with electricity and collied into the Ogremon.

The Digimon was hammered backwards, violently tumbling down the edge of a short slope, back onto the paved path. Mamoru rushed forward to see if the Ogremon had been dispatched. It's landing had cracked the asphalt on the path creating a noticeable depression. The wild Digimon continued to flail in pain, wildly trashing with its club destroying the shrubbery around it.

There was a scream of fright further down the path. Mamoru turned to see an elderly lady and a little girl under a Torii Gate, visibly trembling at the sight of the strange creature. He cursed under his breath; now he had to worry about collateral damage. It would be challenging to beat the rampaging Digimon while attempting to stop it from toppling the shrine gate.

"I guess we don't have a choice, Hagurumon. Ready?"

Mamoru could hear the revving up of the gears signalling to him Hagurumon's determination. His Digivice lit up, and Hagurumon became engulfed in a swirling light that seemed to bend around the Digimon as it transformed.

"Alright Clockmon, pin it down."

As his Digivolution finished, Clockmon leapt down onto the Ogremon taking advantage of his four arms to subdue the trashing Digimon. The hands from his lower clock body secured the Ogremon's legs while the hands of the puppet riding atop held down its upper limbs.

"Oi!" Mamoru turned back to the clearing. "What's your name— Noriko! You came here to stop this Digimon, you must have brought a computer with you to open the gate."

"I did!" She cried back, outside of Mamoru's vision. "Just keep the Ogremon there."

There was a crash of metal as Mamoru turned back to see Clockmon had been hammered aside. The rampaging Digimon rose to its feet and waved its club overhead furiously. It turned away from Clockmon as he was recovering toward the bright red torii gate further down the path. Mamoru's eyes widened, knowing that it was intent on levelling it. The little girl had become root in fear, bawling her eyes out. The old lady tried desperately to pull her away, but the little girl had sunken to the floor in fright.

"Blast it! Machine Thunder!"

Clockmon raised his right mechanical arm which had transformed into a blaster. A lance of electrical energy roared out of the muzzle, creating a blinding flash as it exited the barrel. Even ten meters away, Mamoru could feel the static electric emanating from that one blast. It struck the Ogremon squarely in the back, causing it to crumple in pain. Despite howling in agony, it remained rooted in place, paralysed by the electrical attack's strength.

"Stop it's time flow." Mamoru followed up, now much calmer.

Clockmon leapt forward, puppet half raising a mallet ready to strike using his unique move, Chrono Breaker. As the blow landed, there was a visible reverberation in the Ogremon, briefly becoming pixelated before returning to its normal appearance. Clockmon made a leisurely withdrawal as the Ogremon remained utterly still. Time continued passing normally around the Digimon but not in the space it inhabited.

Sliding down the grassy slope down to the pathway, Mamoru saw that the little girl and the old lady, whom he assumed was a grandmother, still had not moved. The child was still terrified at the sight of the frozen Digimon. Thankfully, her grandmother was visibly relieved once she realised the Ogremon was incapacitated. Though she continued to steadily nudge her granddaughter backwards.

"Hey," Noriko's voice came from behind him. "Here's my tablet. We can open a gate and send it back."

"Hold it up," Mamoru said as they neared the paralysed Digimon.

She pointed the screen towards Ogremon as Mamoru raised his Digivice towards the tablet. Both the device's screens lit up with a bright white light. The tablet started to hiss as the Ogremon was slowly dragged into its screen, shrinking the Digimon as it neared. Mamoru raised his head and let out an exasperated sigh once the wild Digimon had disappeared. Digivolving Hagurumon was exhausting, but there was little choice.

The little girl calmed down after Ogremon had disappeared. She managed to get back on her feet, still sobbing from the ordeal. Her grandmother tugged her hand, signalling her to follow her away from the battle site. The old lady kept her gaze fixed on the two of them with an intense glare.

"I'm so sorry!" Noriko blurted out while bowing deeply, blocking her entire face from the old lady's sight.

Mamoru felt somewhat indignant, knowing that none of this was his fault. Though he wondered if he could have done better and closed the fight without involving any bystanders. All he could manage was a nod of acknowledgement. The old lady said nothing, curtly turned around and led her granddaughter away. Clockmon moved back to Mamoru's side as the other pair left, beginning to glow a soft orange, transforming back into Hagurumon.

Mamoru turned to look at the girl, Noriko. She had short chestnut brown hair that had been ruffled up by the previous battle. Her similarly dark brown sailor fuku uniform was also crumpled with its white-collar smeared with black earth. Even her maroon scarf had dirt on it.

"I messed this up…" she said looking at the shallow crater made by Ogremon's fall. "Sorry, Senpai."

"Eh? Senpai?" Mamoru recognised the uniform as being from his former school, Todoh Senior High. But how did she know that he had gone there? Was she a junior that he had carelessly forgotten about? "Sorry, I must have forgotten you. I'm terrible with names and faces."

"No, no, we haven't met directly before. I started at Todoh when you were already a third-year, and we weren't in the same clubs." She said, waving her hand apologetically.

"Then how do you know me?" Mamoru replied even more confused. At least had not been rude by forgetting someone he was supposed to know.

"From the DigiDestined group. I saw you a few times in the past." She said, smiling at him.

Mamoru was reminded by her statement of the more pressing questions he had. "Is that why you're here trying to fight that Ogremon? There are still updates even after so many people left?"

"No, Izumi-san created a system that messages people who are active when there is a Digimon in the area. He's been sending alerts to the members of the LINE group."

"I see." Izumi had been organising everyone more actively since he started that company. Admittedly it was a much better system than forwarding sightings on social media or relying on someone in the group just happening to see the Digimon appearance. "It was pretty reckless of you to come here with just that little boy for back up."

"Hey!" the boy's voice called out disapprovingly as he came down the path behind them. Mamoru turned around to see that he was carrying his Koromon, sleeping cradled in his arms. His t-shirt, shorts and similar coloured hair were just as dirty as Noriko's. In tow behind him was a Lopmon. That must be Wizardmon's rookie form.

"Noriko, tell him I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a teenager." Noriko frowned slightly, irritated by his badgering. Seeing her look of irritation, the boy quickly attempted to justify himself. "Okay fine, I'm twelve. But I'm going to turn thirteen in January, and I'll be in junior high next year."

Mamoru turned over to him, too tired to find his antics endearing. "You're still a kid. At least until you enter senior high." He quickly turned back to Noriko. "Wait, how are you friends with a twelve-year-old, aren't you seventeen or something?"

"We aren't friends." She said, folding her arms. "He's my brother."

"Wait, then why does he call you by your first name?"

"He's just kind of bratty that way." She replied shaking her head while jutting her hand out in front of her brother to stop him from responding "Sorry about that Senpai—"

"Don't call me that. It's weird since we never met at school."

Mamoru was convinced that this girl was strange, running around with her Digimon, kid brother in tow, attempting to resolve appearances by herself. He remembered most encounters taking three people to safely resolve when he was in his first year of high school. Though to her credit, few of them had been as violent or as tricky as this.

"So what should I call you by then?"

"My last name is Sanada, just call me that," Mamoru said shaking his head.

"Just that?" she smirked.

"Sanada-san. We aren't friends."

"Yet," she said with a cheery voice.

"What's your last name? I am not calling you Noriko-chan." Mamoru was getting increasingly perturbed and moved to sit down at a nearby bench.

"It's Kosaka. Oh, my brother's name is Susumu if you didn't catch it."

"Right, got it, Kosaka-san." Mamoru had given up controlling his expression and just let his weariness show. "Back to my point, it was dangerous for you to come here without any help. Especially since both of you are clearly not very experienced at combat."

"It is a good thing you were here then," Noriko replied, unphased by Mamoru's chiding. "And if anything had gone really bad, you could have always Digivolved again to Wisemon."

Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that Hagurumon and I can Digivolve to ultimate level?" This girl knew, or remembered, an awful lot about him.

"Three years ago; It was the first time I saw an ultimate level Digimon."

Mamoru remembered that incident from his first year of high school. There were two champion level Digimon he had to deal with. He was surprised he was able to do it since Izumi had told them that the ability to Digivolve to ultimate level was uncommon.

"I was super impressed by it, Sen— Sanada-san. Actually, you should come back and help us. There have been more Digimon appearing recently. Some of the other DigiDestined also moved away, so we really need more people."

"I can't. I stopped because I needed to study. And I still really need to study." He said, trying to wave her off.

"Eh? Aren't you already in University?" She said with a sceptical look on her face. "Which one? It must be near here."

"Kyoto University."

"Wow! You must be really smart to go there. The teachers at Todoh told me just three people made it there in your year."

"Yeah." Mamoru did not want to continue this conversation and let her probe more. "It's hard, I don't have time. I want to and need to study."

"But we really need more help, there are only five of us still active in the group. And we are all in high school so we can't do anything if a Digimon appears during lessons."

Mamoru did feel a little bad. He remembered the LINE group having over twenty people just three years ago. Having five left was just pathetic, and more importantly, it was hardly an adequate number to ensure nobody responded to a Digimon appearance alone. He wondered what would happen if someone was hurt. It would be catastrophic, finally forcing the authorities to escalate the situation with direct action. There would be more instances like what just happened at Mount Daikichi, endangering both the DigiDestined that responded, and people caught in the crossfire.

"Hey Kosaka-san, did Izumi-san tell you or the others still in the LINE group about his D-4 Project?"

"Huh? No, what's that?" There was confusion on her face, as if she should have already known this.

"Izumi-san also contacted another DigiDestined in university named Hiroki. He told us to consider joining the Project and to help organise the older local DigiDestined to meet with him. He wants to make a formal group to deal with Digimon appearances in Kyoto."

"Eh! That's exactly what we need. Why wasn't I told about this." Noriko's face went from excited to pouting in a split second once she processed the information.

"I think he only told the oldest of us because he wanted our help to run the group as well."

"So, does that mean you're going to come back and help us?" She said hopefully

"No, I only agreed to meet with Hiroki-san and organise the meeting with Izumi-san."

"Wait, is Hiroki-san the one who's partner is Bearmon?" Mamoru began to wonder why this girl knew so much. Had she been making notes of all the DigiDestined each time they had met in the past?

"I think so, I only met him a few times years ago, so it's hard to remember."

"Oh wait, he is the other person in Kyoto who can evolve to ultimate level, right? His partner Digivolves to GrapLeomon."

"Yeah, I definitely remember that." Mamoru said as he nodded his head. The conversation with her was at least proving useful in jogging his memory.

"Okay, okay. His last name is Kodai, so I know him as Kodai-san."

"When you say you know him, I hope you've actually talked to him before, unlike you 'knowing' me." Mamoru said, shaking his head. "I'm meeting him next week to organise our end of the Project. You can come to the meeting with Izumi-san the week after since, I assume, you'll want to be a part of this regardless."

"I do 'know' Kodai-san, okay," Noriko replied frowning. "Can I come to that meeting too?"

"No, adults-only," Mamoru said dismissively. In truth, he did not want more opportunities to be cajoled by someone like her into joining this group again. "and before you reply, you're not an adult. You're still in high school."

"You're one to talk," she said, rolling her eyes "you're only two years older than me."

"Those two years make all the difference since I'm nineteen."

"Fine, whatever." Noriko flicked her wrist as if she were dismissing Mamoru's statement. "What are the details for the meeting with Izumi-san?"

"Hasn't been settled yet."

"It's fine, I have your LINE ID anyway," Noriko said giggling a bit. "I'll message you again next week."

Mamoru let out a groan of annoyance, looking down to phone as if it had betrayed him. That was when he noticed the time. "It's almost 9pm, you two really need to head back."

In all the commotion he had not noticed that night had entirely fallen. Instead of the fading sun's dim orange glow, they were now all only illuminated by the white florescent lights of the streetlamps along the walking path.

"It's okay, Susumu and I stay near the Agata Shrine. It's just across the river, behind the Byodin Temple, so we're near home."

"Start heading home now." Mamoru insisted. "I don't want to be responsible for you."

Noriko sighed before answering with a smile. "No one said you are. But we will be going anyway. I bet Susumu is tired."

"Am not." The boy replied defiantly.

"Okay fine then. You're tired, aren't you Lopmon."

"Yeah I am," the little bunny like Digimon replied softly. "Digivolving takes up a lot of energy."

It was hard to believe that this floppy-eared creature that could pass for a plush toy was also a human-like wizard Digimon. At least Hagurumon and Clockmon were logically consistent with each other. Though no one said Digimon evolution had to be consistent or even logical for that matter.

"Okay then," Noriko said with a noticeably tired voice now. "We'll be going off then. See you soon, Sanada-san." Noriko began to walk down the path and through the Torii gate, Susumu and Lopmon in tow.

Mamoru could still hear their conservation as they walked away. "Noriko, is that guy really that strong?"

"Yeah, the University students with Digimon partners are all really strong." Her voice was starting to fade out before Mamoru saw her turn around and call back out to him. "Sanada-san, really thank you for your help today."

Mamoru could not help but smile at this. "It's no problem, take care."

He waited a good fifteen minutes sitting on the bench with Hagurumon floating next to him before he started to descend down Daikichiyama.

"Mamoru, how come you waited here?" Hagurumon asked. "We probably stay really near to them."

"Come on, Hagrurmon. I know you're made of metal, but don't be dense. I don't want to have to talk to them the whole way home."

"That Noriko girl is pretty interesting, isn't she?"

"That's a nice way of putting it," Mamoru replied, shaking his head.

"Weren't you a bit hard on her? Even if it is exhausting for us to Digivolve."

Mamoru thought back about the conversation and felt a twinge of regret. Noriko was probably just the cheerful type. As the older person, he should be controlling his emotions better, even though he was fatigued.

"I guess you're right. It's probably just because I'm exhausted now."

"Hmm, okay, Mamoru. At least we managed to help some people today, right?"

"Yeah, buddy. I wish we hadn't scared that little girl and made her grandmother angry. But at least no one was hurt."

The rest of the walk back was spent in silence, wondering about what he would do about Izumi's Project.


	2. Old Acquaintances

**Chapter 2: Old Acquaintances**

It had passed mid-September, but the midday sun was still sweltering in Kansai. Mamoru was panting as he ran down Higashioji Avenue. He had missed the bus that ran from Kyoto University in Yoshida to Higashiyama where he agreed to meet Hiroki. It was only a twenty-minute walk. He figured it was still possible to arrive on time if he ran. Mamoru cursed himself for cutting it so close. It was a series of cascading decisions that had led to him sweating through his t-shirt as he crossed Tokunari Bridge.

With his lecture today cancelled, he had decided to stay up late last night to finish more readings. Ambitiously, he also wanted to wake up early to go to the University reference library before the meeting. This, of course, fell apart. Carried away, he only slept past three in the morning and awoke just shortly before noon. Being efficient with his time was a priority for him. Though it backfired at times like this. The single delay of forgetting his IC Card led to him missing a bus that only came every ten minutes.

Being late was not the end of the world. But it seemed imprudent when meeting new people. Aside from general courtesy, more importantly, Mamoru wanted a chance to observe a person arriving before they met. It was his way of attempting to discern what they were like before interacting with them. He liked knowing what to expect. That was out of the question now.

As he ran, Mamoru could see the bus he missed pulling further and further ahead. It continued down the four-lane road before it finally became too distant to make out clearly, oblivious to his existence. He had to stop to catch his breath multiple times, making him wonder if his neglect of serious exercise throughout high school had been a wise decision. Had anyone on the bus had noticed him rushing only to miss it by a few seconds? Maybe they kept watching him hopelessly run after the bus.

Finally, he rounded the corner onto Sanjo Road, and the Higashiyama train station came into view. He saw a man in a green bomber jacket waving at him from the station entrance across the road. That must be Hiroki. Mamoru slowed down, crossing the road at a more comfortable pace getting a chance to get a better look at him. He was struck by how tall Hiroki was, at least six feet compared to his own five and seven inches. That was not the only thing about him that stood out. Hiroki's hair was a relatively light shade of brown compared to the dark chestnut colour Noriko had. As Mamoru neared him, he could also make out a few freckles on his face.

"Yo," Hiroki said in greeting as he raised hand. Mamoru nodded in acknowledgement, extending his arm for a handshake. Hiroki had an iron vice grip. It was to be expected since he appeared to be quite athletically built unlike himself. "You're a pretty formal person, aren't you?"

"Was I supposed to do something else?" Mamoru asked.

"We have met before," Hiroki said shrugging.

"I suppose that is technically true… though to be honest, I forgot what you looked like."

"Don't worry, I had no idea what you looked like either, or what to expect for a greeting."

Mamoru was relieved. He had been worried that Hiroki would remember him better than he did. Or worse, that he would be under the impression that they were old friends even though Mamoru barely knew anything about him. That raised the next question obvious question.

"How did you know it was me?" Running full pelt around town was odd, but it was bold of Hiroki to assume that it meant that person was the one he was meeting.

"My friend told me—" Hiroki started, "Oh right, I invited another university student who is interested in helping out. She's grabbing some water now."

"Do I know her?" There was a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and irritation at being told this. The DigiDestined seemed like an endless web of people he could not escape from. Perhaps it was just his lack of sociability which led him to fail at keeping track of everyone. On the other hand, everyone he met seemed to know each other. Kyoto was so large yet seemed so constricting at the same time. Had his decision to join that LINE group in the past ensnared him for good?

"Maybe? I'm not sure." Hiroki said, scratching his head. "She also goes to Kyodai, so probably? She just told me to look for a black-haired guy that was running down the road."

Whoever that girl was, she was on the bus that he had missed. "Who is she?"

"She's coming out now, I'll just let her introduce herself," Hiroki said, gesturing over his should with his thumb at the convenience store behind him.

The girl who exited the store had long flowing raven hair. She was dressed in jeans like him but wore a lavender coloured cardigan on top of her pastel yellow shirt. Mamoru noticed that she was carrying a huge canvas shoulder bag. As he tried to discern its purpose, Mamoru saw the bag rustle. Out popped a small head covered in light yellow fur. It was difficult to distinguish if it was a dog or a cat with its lack of features. To its floppy ears seemed to suggest the former. The creature turned to look at Mamoru and smiled, confirming his suspicions. It was a Digimon.

"Salamon," the girl turned to place the bottle of water she bought in her bag. "You're not supposed to poke your head out while we are in public."

"But I want to see what's happening too." The little dog replied.

"Later, okay? When we find a place to sit down." The girl said, smiling.

Mamoru only knew one person who brought their Digimon around as if it were a regular pet. A girl with a Salamon at that.

"Hoshino-san?" He said, confirming what he believed.

"Hello Sanada-san," she said in a warm but noticeably reserved voice. "I would say it's been a while, but I actually see you on campus quite often."

"Eh? you do?" Mamoru was beginning to realise how little attention he had been paying to the people around him at school. She must also be at the main library a lot.

"You meet Asuka sometimes right? She never told you?" she tilted her head to the side, apparently confused that Mamoru had not realised they were in the same university.

"Yeah I do— but it's only like once in two weeks. Sorry, I guess it just never came up." Mamoru did a slight bow, feeling embarrassed at his obliviousness.

"It's okay," she said, waving his apology off, "Maybe Asuka just assumed that you knew since we are in the same faculty."

Mamoru felt even worse after hearing that. It was not that she was observant, it was clearly because he just never bothered to get to know anyone properly. At least now he knew what Noriko was talking about that night at Daikichiyama. This girl must be the third person from their year in high school besides him and his friend Asuka that entered Kyoto University.

"Sorry to break up this conversation," Hiroki interrupted, "I assumed that you both would be more familiar with each other." He kept scratching his head, uncomfortable with how clumsily their interactions were playing out.

"Sorry, Hiroki-kun, we were supposed to talk about Izumi-san's Project." The girl said.

"It's no problem, there's no big rush if you two also don't have classes after this," Hiroki said, trying to cut through the awkward back and forth apologies. "Oh, and call me Kodai, just Kodai. All my friends use my last name."

"Alright, please call me by my first name then." The girl said with a smile. Mamoru racked his brains, trying to remember what her name was. They had gone to the same high school for three years; it should have been an easy piece of information to retrieve from his own mind. Not to mention, they also met a few times as DigiDestined.

"What about you?" Kodai asked. They were now both looking right at him.

"First name is fine." He replied hastily.

"Great," Kodai said, clapping his hands together. "Let's go sit down and grab a drink somewhere."

Kodai led them down the covered Furukawacho Shopping Street. Mamoru felt an awkward silence fall over them. Perhaps it was just his imagination since he was still desperately trying to remember the girl's name to avoid further embarrassment. He feigned ambivalence at where they were headed to buy himself more time and keep out of any potential conversation. Maybe he should message Hagurumon to see if he remembered. Mamoru typed away on his phone furiously as they continued to wander around.

"Kodai?" The girl said, "Do you have somewhere in mind already?"

"Not really, I don't normally come to this side of town." Kodai shrugged. "I went to Rakusei high school on the other side of the river."

"Then when should have gone to Demachi Masugata Market. All the Kyodai students go shopping there. I know what's good."

"It's a bit far from the Ritsumeikan campus at Nijo. I thought here would be better since there was a direct route from both our schools."

Mamoru's phone buzzed, but the Digimon's reply was categorically unhelpful. The message just told him that he remembered a person like that. Hagurumon could recall the contents of Mamoru's philosophy lectures but not a mundane fact like this. He supposed he could not fault his Digimon, after all, he was precisely the same.

Having failed to keep track of the other two's conversation, they had decided on a place to go. Mamoru squinted as he stepped out of the shade provided by the canvas and lanterns strung above the shopping street they were on. Kodai signalled for them to follow him as he walked towards the embankment of a canal on their left. As they rounded the corner, Mamoru saw stretched out before him, a line of willow trees along the bank. Under their branches was the outdoor seating for a quaint café.

After placing their orders, they sat at the table in silence for a good minute. Mamoru clasped his hands in front of him on the table and tried to avoid eye contact. He could see from the edge of his vision that the girl cradled her arms in front of her. Kodai was drumming his fingers on the table.

Kodai finally cut through it all. "Err, Reina, did Izumi-san contact you as well? Or was my message the first time you heard about his D-4 Project?"

Good thing Kodai was outgoing. He unwittingly solving Mamoru's name dilemma.

"No, he didn't," Reina said, "I guess it's because I'm not really active anymore?"

"Neither am I, but he still messaged me to organise this with Kodai," Mamoru added.

"I don't think he contacted any of the DigiDestined that are still active in the LINE group." Kodai said as he rubbed his chin.

"They definitely don't know anything," Mamoru said, shaking his head. "I met one of them last week, a girl from my old high school named Kosaka Noriko. She had no idea this was happening until I told her."

"You know Noriko-chan too?" Reina asked.

"Err, not at all," Mamoru said, shaking his head. "I just ran into her at Mount Daikichi by chance."

"Did she recognise you? She was in the Literature Club with me."

"She did, though it was kind of surprising."

Noriko's behaviour and knowledge that day was starting to make more sense now. Despite the club's name and the impression it gave off as nothing more than a glorified reading group, Mamoru remembered they were surprisingly intense. At least for Todoh, they read dense books and had fierce debates that Mamoru overheard from his own club room down the hall.

"Is it really? You were in the student council. I'm not surprised that some students would know you. And you were in a LINE group with her." When Reina laid it out like that, it was hardly surprising anymore.

"Really? You, were in the Student Council?" Kodai said cutting in.

"I only worked on the planning and organising side—" A part of him was disappointed at Kodai's scepticism, but he knew it was warranted. "Never anything in the spotlight."

"Sorry," Kodai seemed to have picked up from Mamoru's quick reply that he may have been too abrasive. "From what I remember, you never seemed like the type. But what you just said makes sense. I wonder if that's why Izumi-san specifically contacted you."

"I don't think so. Neither of us are active. I am pretty sure Izumi-san doesn't know that much about us either." Mamoru was reminded of what Noriko told him and decided to put forward the idea. "Kosaka-san, the girl I ran into last week, did mention that you and I are the only ones that can Digivolve to ultimate level in Kyoto. Maybe that is the reason."

"Can you do it, Reina?" Kodai said, facing her.

Reina looked down sheepishly before giving a soft reply. "I can't."

"It's not a big deal." Mamoru tried to advert some of the pressure being placed on her.

"Isn't it supposed to be tied to how strong your bond with your partner is?" Reina adverted her gaze from the table, turning to check on Salamon. The little Digimon was still sitting in her bag, now slung onto the backrest of her chair. She widened the opening, letting Salamon hop out onto the grass behind them.

"I guess so?" Kodai was too straightforward for his own good. "I thought it was more about their battle experience?"

Mamoru decided to build off what Kodai said even though he had no idea of it was actually true. At least it was a logical inference to make. "It should be, Kodai and I were involved in most of the fights before our last year of high school."

"I never liked all the fighting." Reina looked back up with a faint smile. It was hard to tell if what they said had worked or if she was just being polite. "It's strange how much we don't know about them, even though we've spent more than half our lives with them." She turned to look back at Salamon, who was now prancing around in the grass.

"The three of us also are the oldest," Mamoru said, changing the subject back to the Project. "The rest of them are still in high school."

"He really wants us to organise everything among ourselves. Even though we are barely older than they are." Kodai probably made the right conclusion, there was no other reason he would contact only the two oldest DigiDestined who also had the strongest Digimon. If he really wanted to, Izumi could probably have done everything himself. The Project must require local organisation for it to work.

"Are you going to do it?" Mamoru asked.

"Of course," Kodai replied immediately. "I know one of the DigiDestined still active too. He's my junior at Rakusei High. According to him, they started to encounter Digimon almost once a week. They need our help." Noriko had said the same thing to Mamoru last week.

"How are you going to manage?" Kodai did not seem like the very academic type. But to his credit, he was in Ritsumei, which was not an easy university to enter. Could he manage? Or was Kodai fine with just getting by at his course?

"I'll find a way." He said, shrugging his shoulders. It seemed anything went for him. "Besides, I already committed to it. I arranged as many lessons as I could next semester to be in the afternoon. I'll handle anything that comes up in the morning while the others are still in school."

"All by yourself?" Reina asked, there was a look of concern on her face.

"If I have to." Kodai was serious about this. Serious enough to limit his class choices at university for this.

Mamoru could not process how readily he had made this decision. It had been less than ten days since Izumi contacted them. He must have chosen even earlier than that to make it in time for class registrations. They had yet to be told any of the details and he was already committed to the Project.

"Ritsumei is easier than Kyodai, I suppose," Mamoru said, accidentally verbalising his thoughts.

"Mamoru!" Reina said sharply chiding him.

Before he could apologise, Kodai replied. "It's fine. He's probably right." Kodai smiled, trying to make it clear that there were no hurt feelings. "Though not by much," he added cheekily.

"One person can't handle the whole city by themselves for half a day." Reina said, pressing her concerns.

"Well, Ritsumei's main campus is pretty central," Kodai said pondering how the logistics of his plan would work out. "I can also cycle pretty fast."

"I don't just mean that" Reina was starting to sound mildly exasperated. Mamoru could not help but wonder if Kodai's comments were sincerely dense or if he was trying unsuccessfully to asway her worries. "It's not safe to handle Digimon appearances alone. Even if you can Digivolve to ultimate level."

"Mamoru, are you going to join?" Kodai said, focusing back on him.

"I don't know. I'm swamped with work."

Reina turned to him as well, looking unconvinced by that statement. "Really? What part of the faculty exactly are you in again?"

"I don't know about the Literature course," Mamoru began, "but the philosophy department has a lot of essays."

Reina narrowed her eyes. "Even if you took extra classes this semester, that's still at most three essays due a month."

"I'm a thorough person," Mamoru said, trying to justify himself. "I need them to be the best they can be."

"Need or want?" She saw right through him. "I think you can give up some of your extra reading to do this. It's important."

A part of Mamoru knew that she was right. He thought back to that old lady and the little girl that were almost hurt by that rampaging Ogremon. For all of Noriko's enthusiasm, she was woefully unprepared to handle the incident. Another part of him did not want to get involved. These Digimon encounters could hardly be considered enjoyable. It had given him unmeasurable amounts of stress in high school, knowing he was responsible for this. Ironically, studying was the enjoyable activity. Being challenged with the only risk being that he ruined his own grades. Mamoru supposed most Japanese students would curse him if he admitted any of that out loud.

Mamoru realised he had been silent for more than a few seconds, rapidly going through his own train of thought. Reina had made an important point, but she was not forceful enough to push it through.

It was again Kodai who broke the silence. "Reina, does that mean you are willing to help?"

"It's going to get a little tight with my grades," She said, conceding to Mamoru that even if she was right, the choice was not an easy one. "I'll do it."

"I thought you didn't like fighting." Kodai seemed to be as well concerned. Perhaps that was why he had just assumed he was going to be doing it alone.

"I don't…" Reina clasped her neck with her right hand, looking down at the table.

The conversation had stagnated again with that question. It seemed that the only person not caught in a bind was Kodai. The waiter arrived with their drinks, but the latte and two black coffees just sat on the table untouched as the silence continued. Kodai was brazen at times with his approach, but Mamoru knew that whether to fight was a question too sensitive to just push through. Kodai looked to be thinking of a way to respond to Reina, trying to anticipate what she was thinking and offer up a proper answer. It was less about convincing her and more undoing the impossible position she had been placed in.

On the other hand, all Mamoru could come up with was a platitude. He decided it would have to do since the silence was becoming unbearable. "I think sometimes we have to fight." He said. Immediately, he began to miss the sound of only the water slowly flowing by as he felt the attention focus on him.

"Hey—" Kodai quickly added, "maybe we won't always have to resolve the appearances with fighting. I remember there were times where all we did was talk to the Digimon and open a gate for them."

This seemed to work as the concerned look evaporated from Reina's face.

"It would be easier if there were three of us," Kodai said, looking back to Mamoru. "You and Reina could still take a few morning classes that way. It won't be as constricting on your plans compared to mine."

"I'm still not sure," Mamoru replied weakly. "I'll definitely still help organise the meeting and stuff." He added on, feeling bad for being non-committal when there was a clear imperative for him. Reina was willing to put herself in a position where she would have to fight. Everyone was sacrificing something. How could he not?

"Don't worry about it," Kodai said, waving his hand. "I'm studying public policy at Ritsumei, so I can help to integrate Digimon into our world. I think of this as doing field research. So, it's really not a burden." Turning to Reina, he continued, "Besides, he keeps saying that he'll organise everything, so I think I know what his answer will be."

Reina giggled at Kodai's brazen statement. Was joining really inevitable for him?

"Mamoru, can you contact Noriko-chan then?" Reina asked with a smile. Mamoru noticed a slyness to her expression. Like she had just hatched a scheme.

"What? Why me?" Mamoru said, uncertain of what he was committing to. "You know her from Lit club. You should do it."

"Nah," She said, dismissing his points. "I haven't spoken to her since we graduated. You just saw her last week." Mamoru looked at her passively, trying to formulate an appropriate response. Before he could come up with anything, she continued, "And be sure to get her to tell the other active DigiDestined about the details as well."

"Don't worry, I'll also tell my junior. But you should inform Noriko-chan just to be sure." Kodai said, piling on.

All Mamoru could do was nod. He knew he had been cornered.

Ready to descend into another string of his own thoughts, he was interrupted by the splashing of water on his back. He turned around to see the water in the ten-meter-wide canal was choppy. He also could have sworn he was seated facing the flow of the river. The water must be flowing backwards to have fallen on his back.

Spray from the canal hit Reina in the face making her flinch. Mamoru could hear Salamon growling from behind Reina. There was a Digimon nearby.

"It's coming from downstream," Kodai said as he stood up.

Mamoru was still turned around in his chair looking at the turbulent water as both Kodai and Reina ran off to get a better view with Salamon trailing behind them. Mamoru cursed realising that they had forgotten to pay for their drinks. He quickly forked out two thousand yen notes from his wallet before he moved off.

Running up a small incline, he saw Reina and Kodai standing at the railing of a small bridge looking further down the river. A spout of water erupted from the riverbed. Finally reaching the other two, Mamoru saw a strange bright pink animal with green hair. Half of its body was hidden with a grey shell which bristled with rocky outcrops.

"It's a Shellmon." Kodai said, looking down at his Digivice. "Damn it, I should have brought Bearmon with me. Reina, you'll have to handle this."

"I don't know," she hesitated. "The Shellmon isn't really damaging anything. Maybe we can talk to it and calm it down."

"Do any of you have a computer on you?" Mamoru realised that they would not be able to end this without one. They both shook their heads. "We may not have a choice then. If we can't talk it down, we'll have to knock it out."

Mamoru could see the tension envelop Reina's face as she brought her hands up to cover her mouth. It was an unenviable position to be in. Mamoru wished that the situation were different. He and Kodai had no problems with fighting and would be fine having their position reversed with her's. As sympathetic as those thoughts were, it was nothing more than fantasy.

"Is that a girl?" Kodai said, pointing to another bridge behind the Shellmon.

It was hard to make out, the other bridge being over fifty meters downstream. In the middle, Mamoru could see someone with short faded black hair. Dressed in a caramel coloured blazer, red plaid skirt, and wearing a matching ribbon tie, it was definitely a girl. In her arms was a four-limbed animal with purple spots being held by its torso. The Shellmon turned to face the girl. Mamoru was able to make out what looked to be like her shouting at it.

"We have to help her," Kodai said as he dashed off again.

Mamoru followed shortly behind but found it impossible to keep up with Kodai who was sprinting down the riverside. As Mamoru began to trail behind, he saw that the girl was now bent down, clutching the railing of the bridge. She must be terrified. The Shellmon raised one of its pink barnacle-covered arms poised to slam it right where the girl was standing. Kodai was still at least a few seconds away.

As the hand of the Shellmon descended, there was a bright glow from the water beneath the bridge. Bursting forth from the water was a Digimon clad in snow-white fur. It surged forward, knocking the Shellmon backwards with its front paws and long black horn. Mamoru looked back up to see that the girl appeared to be panting and noticed there was a bright light in her hand. A Digivice.

The Ikkakumon remained locked in battle with the Shellmon, both grappling each other, attempting to gain the upper hand. The water in the canal was churned up by the trashing turning a murky brown and spilling onto the embankment. Mamoru neared the bridge where the girl was doubled over and turned around to see Reina making her way towards them as well. Kodai was already with her trying to help her stand back upright.

"Are you okay?" Kodai said.

Before she could respond, Mamoru decided to ask the more pressing question. "Hey, do you have a computer?" She was obviously a DigiDestined and probably showed up responding to an alert that a Digimon was in the area.

"Yes, of course." The girl replied weakly as she pushed up her black-framed glasses. "You should get back. It's dangerous here." The lack of firmness in her tone made it completely unconvincing. It was fortunate they were not just any passerby that risked disrupting her attempts to subdue the Shellmon by dragging her off, leaving Ikkakumon directionless.

"We're DigiDestined too. We left our Digimon at home, though." Kodai said.

Reina had just caught up with them, Salamon now riding in her bag again. The Ikkakumon and Shellmon continued to spar with each other, neither appearing to have an advantage.

"I'll call Takeshi. Maybe he can get here quick." Kodai said as he whipped out his phone. Mamoru assumed that this was the junior from high school that he had been referring to.

"Don't bother." The girl said. Even standing upright, she was a head shorter than Mamoru. "I already did. He ditched school to come here, but he got caught up in another Digimon appearance."

"What about Noriko-chan?" Reina quickly added.

"She's too far away," Mamoru said dismissing that idea. "It takes an hour to get here from Uji."

"Were you planning to take on this thing by yourself?" Kodai asked in a tone close to chastising her.

The girl was apparently unphased by this and continued in her soft but calm tone. "This is right next to my school, so I would be the first responder. Shellmon are notorious for their belligerence and low intelligence. It was only a matter of time before it became violent."

She continued to spout her rationale uninterrupted and seemingly unaffected by the fight going on less than twenty meters away. Though she was visibly tired. "I hoped to talk it down, but that was unlikely. I calculated that if Gomamon Digivolved, he could occupy the Shellmon until Takeshi arrived as the next nearest person— I did not anticipate him being delayed though…"

"Will your junior be alright?" Mamoru asked. If there was a problem elsewhere, they should split up as soon as possible to deal with it.

"Of course. Takeshi is a fighter. He'll win on his own." Kodai's confidence was reassuring, but it did not change the situation at hand.

"I am unable to win by myself." The girl added flatly. "Ikkakumon cannot use his Harpoon Torpedo without collateral damage."

"Reina," Kodai said, turning around to face her. "You have to Digivolve."

Reina took a deep breath, turning to look at Salamon. The puppy-like creature nodded back at her with a look of determination.

"The Shellmon seems to be tiring out," The girl said as she rummaged through her backpack propped up against the bridge railing. "If you can hit it with a strong attack towards the bridge, we can force it into the Digital Gate.' As she finished the sentence, she produced a laptop from her bag.

Without saying a word, Salamon leapt out of her bag and onto the railing. Reina took out her Digivice. The screen began to shine with radiant white light. Engulfed by that same light, Salamon started to Digivolve. Her front paws thickened, stubby tailed extended, and most strikingly, she began to stand upright with pointed cat ears.

Gatomon leapt from the railing, this time at a blazing speed, becoming just a silver and yellow blur. She landed on top of Ikkakumon who was now facing Shellmon parallel to the bridge. Mamoru could see Ikakkumon's fur rustle as Gatomon ran up onto his head. Somersaulting off Ikkakumon's horn, Gatomon flew to the left of the Shellmon.

There was the sound of electricity jolting through the air before Mamoru heard a resounding thunderclap. Gatomon had used its signature move, Lightning Paw. The Shellmon was knocked sideways, spraying water as it skidded toward the bridge. Kodai pointed his Digivice towards the girl's laptop and the screen came to life, opening a Digital Gate. The girl held out her computer over the railing as the Shellmon came barreling towards them. The light streaming out of the computer screen intensified as the Shellmon quickly was absorbed.

The girl's hands began to tremble once the Digimon had vanished. Kodai acting quickly, grabbed her laptop, saving it from the drink. Ikkakumon began to glow a warm yellow, gradually shrinking until it was no larger than a small otter.

"Gatomon!" Reina cried, having lost sight of her partner.

"It's okay!" Came the voice of the Gomamon from the canal. Diving briefly underwater, he resurfaced with a tiny yellow puppy on his back. Salamon appeared to be unconscious, but thankfully, also unhurt.

Reina ran down from the bridge to the riverside to receive her drenched Digimon. Despite all her aversion to fighting, Gatomon was strong. No doubt because she had more experience than the Digimon partners of the younger DigiDestined. Gatomon was even experienced enough to fight without needing specific direction from Reina. Even though Ikkakumon had significantly weakened the Shellmon, Mamoru was still impressed that Gatomon could finish the fight in a single blow. Though it appeared that she had channeled all her energy into that one strike with nothing left to spare.

"Hey, you sure you're alright?" Kodai said. Mamoru turned around to see the girl was now on the ground, leaning against the railing.

"I'm—fine," was all she could manage.

"Yuki!" The Gomamon shouted as he shuffled quickly from the edge of the bridge. He jumped into the girl's lap, placing his paws on her face. This pushed her glasses out of alignment again. She gave a faint smile before readjusting her spectacles. "Sorry," Gomamon said, turning around to face everyone "She concentrates a lot when we battle."

"She'll be okay, right?" Kodai asked.

"Yes! She'll be fine."

The girl looked up at them with a nervous look. "Sorry, I have not introduced myself." She stood up a little unsteadily and bowed. "I am Akiyama Yuki— I go to Kacho Girl's High School— down the road." Her speech was choppy, having lost its calm flow from during the battle.

"I'm her partner, Gomamon." The white otter-like creature added.

"Sorry— I need to go— to computer club— They're waiting for me." Yuki said as she began to pick up her bag.

"Wait, your laptop," Kodai said, holding it out.

Yuki turned around without saying a word, slowly receiving the laptop. Her face was a mixture of embarrassment and uncertainty.

"Akiyama-san?" Kodai began "there is a meeting next week. Have the others told you about it already?"

"Yes—"

"It's at 2pm, Kyoto Central Station, on Thursday. Will you be there?"

"I will—" Yuki blurted out. Mamoru was intrigued by how she was able to sound both so abrupt yet so soft-spoken at the same time.

"I have to go now— Sorry— Thank you." She bowed again and quickly did an about-face, walking towards her school. Gomamon shuffled along next to her cheerfully. His large paws making an audible plop as he moved through the puddles that had been made by the fight with Shellmon.

Mamoru could still hear their conversation as she walked through a Torii at the end of the bridge. "When we get to school, go hide in the koi pond, okay?" Yuki said to Gomamon. It was tough bringing Digimon around with Kyoto so unused to seeing them. She was dedicated, finding a hiding place and bring her Digimon to school every day.

"I think that's enough excitement for today," Kodai said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "The D-4 Digivices will definitely be helpful when we get them. If I could bring Bearmon with me, it would have been no problem at all."

"Is Salamon alright?" Mamoru asked, remember that they had not checked on Reina.

"She's fine," Reina said, holding Salamon in her arms. They had used her own cardigan to dry her partner off. Salamon was fast asleep, exhausted from that brief but massive burst of energy.

"Reina," Mamoru was hesitant, but he felt that it was crucial to ask the question. "Are you alright? With the fighting an all?"

"I am," She said hesitantly. "I'm tired, though. It's been a while since Salamon Digivolved. I think I am going to go home if that is alright."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Mamoru said, following up.

"You heard what Akiyam-san said, Shellmon are normally belligerent. I guess we had to." Reina forced a tired smile and waved him off.

Mamoru was not convinced by her reply but decided not to press the issue. Yuki was a walking Digimon encyclopedia, able to remember the temperament of wild Shellmon without referring to her Digivice at all. Though she seemed to have become debilitatingly shy and nervous once she stopped focusing.

"I am going back to campus to study then," Mamoru announced, turning back towards the direction of Higashiyama train station.

"You're so boring, Mamoru," Kodai said, shaking his head with a smile.

"That's how I got into Kyodai." Mamoru retorted dryly.

They waved goodbye to one another as they split up from where they were at. As Mamoru was about to walk away, Reina called out to him.

"All because Kodai informed that girl, it doesn't mean you don't need to contact Noriko-chan." She shouted from a distance.

Mamoru raised his hand, making a thumbs-up sign before continuing back to campus. This time he was determined to take a bus.


	3. Business Not as Usual

**Chapter 3: Business Not as Usual**

Messaging Noriko had been a disaster. At least it seemed that way with all her badgering that lasted well into the following day. Mamoru assumed it would be simple to just dump the information onto her in an enormous paragraph, leaving her no room to reply anything other than a confirmation. He could only describe her as enterprising. The barrage of questions that followed were things that Mamoru had not even thought to ask Izumi himself.

'Do we need to get our parents to approve this?' 'How will we open Digital Gates if our Digivice is now a phone?' 'Who is going to be in charge?' 'Does this mean we are employed by Izumi-san?' 'Are there other groups like us in Japan?' 'Does this have something to do with what happened last summer?'

He regretted ending his message with an invitation to ask if she was unclear about anything. It was something that seemed polite but that he could have omitted. To her credit, some of these were good questions. Though it was almost certain that she knew that he did not have any answers. They were just her attempts to keep him talking, and it eventually spilt over into other areas. Mamoru ended up answering her questions about what he did on the student council. As much as he felt overwhelmed by Noriko at times, he did not dislike her. He wondered if he was going mildly senile from the pressure. But in the end, Hagurumon was right. Talking to her was entertaining once he got used to her intense personality.

The day finally came that they were to meet Izumi. Neither Mamoru nor Kodai knew what to expect. Their contact with Izumi had been sporadic, but it dropped to almost nothing aside from confirmation of the meeting a few days ago. Mamoru sat at the bottom of a massive flight of red-brown coloured stairs that led into the station concourse. A stage had been set up at the landing where there were posters for an upcoming concert by high school concert bands in Kyoto. In front of it was Kodai pacing up and down.

The others began to filter in as the time of their meeting neared. Yuki was the first to arrive from school and sat quietly at the other end of the stairs. Gomamon did not appear to be with her today as she came only with a small sling bag. The next person to appear wore a dark navy blue gakuran uniform.

"Oi! Nagato." Kodai waved at the boy clad in blue. The two of them quickly started conversing in front of the stage.

Mamoru assumed that must be Takeshi and that his last name was Nagato. He looked athletically built like Kodai but had rather normal black hair. The most curious feature he had was a left cauliflower ear. The shinai bag he carried indicated that he did kendo. Someone probably struck him so hard on his left that it had caused some blood clotting. He was clearly dedicated to his club, carrying around his kendo armour wrapped in a cloth bag with him.

"Hey, Senpai!" A cheery voice called out. Noriko had just arrived.

"I told you not to call me that." Mamoru did not want her to get too comfortable and bog him down more in this.

"Right, right, sorry," There was a distinct lack of sincerity in her voice, "Anyway, Sanada-san, there is someone I want to introduce." Mamoru finally looked towards her to see a boy following behind. He wore the same kind of uniform he had until last year: a black gakuran with brass buttons. "This is Nakajima Yasushi." The bespectacled boy smiled and waved at him.

"Hey, Senpai," Yasushi said. There was a hint of cheek to what he said.

"Not another one." Mamoru sighed. "I know we're all from the same school, but please, don't call me that."

"Okay! He'll be sure to do that." Noriko said, bumping him in the ribs with a smile. "Yasushi is a third-year, but you've probably never met him since he's in the occult research club."

"Eh? Your school has weirdo clubs like that?" Kodai yelled from a few meters away. Noriko had been going on so loudly that most people in the concourse could have heard her.

"We do?" Mamoru replied in confusion, looking right at Noriko. Who would join such an embarrassing club?

"Oi, Noriko, don't call us that," Yasushi said, nudging her shoulder. He quickly turned back to Mamoru, his hands raised to his chest. "We're actually the History and Archeology club."

"Then why do you have all that weird stuff in your club room?" She said giving Yasushi a faux inquisitive look.

"Their fossils," He protested. "We went all the way to Fukui for that. Why are you always like this? You called Sanada-san Senpai but never bother to do that with me."

"Because you're a nerd Yasushi," Noriko said giggling. She ruffled Yasushi's black hair before she moved off in the direction of Yuki. Noriko had to tiptoe despite being relatively tall for a girl. Yasushi was a rather lanky person.

"You know I was in Baseball during junior high," Yasushi said as he tried to neaten up his hair.

"Yeah, and I know why you decided to stop in senior high." Noriko did not even bother to turn back to look at him.

Mamoru wondered why Yasushi put up with her antics. He was tall enough that moving slightly would have thwarted Noriko's plan. Was this the outcome of interacting with her for a prolonged period? Getting worn down into just accepting her behaviour. Or worse, becoming endeared to it.

It was ten minutes past their meeting time, but Izumi still had not appeared yet. Mamoru wanted to message him, but it felt rude despite them being the ones kept waiting. Izumi ran a company; he must be swamped all the time. Besides, the last DigiDestined had also yet to show up.

Mamoru looked around to see that everyone else was engaged. Kodai and Takeshi were still talking to each other. Noriko was excited to see Reina and appeared to have dragged Yasushi to their conversation. From what he could overhear from Noriko's boisterous voice, Reina had no problems with being called Senpai. Reina seemed to be okay after their encounter with Shellmon. He had messaged the day after to check up, but she politely said she was fine. Mamoru decided that pressing the issue today was not a good idea and left it at that. The only other person was Yuki sitting by herself on the far side of the staircase landing, typing away on her computer. Mamoru decided to ask her if she knew who and where the last DigiDestined was.

"Hey, Akiyama-san," Mamoru said as he approached her. "do you know the DigiDestined who hasn't arrived yet?"

"Yes," She replied without hesitation. Yuki was intensely focused on whatever she was typing out right now. "She is Kadotani Natsuki from Tachibana High School, a second-year." Perhaps it was just obvious information you would know about one of your friends, but the way Yuki said it was almost mechanical.

'Akiyama-san, you know you're pretty knowledgeable for a second-year yourself." Mamoru said.

"Yuki. Just call me Yuki. I don't like honorifics." She replied bluntly. "I'm also a first-year."

Was it just the confidence she got from being focused? Mamoru could not imagine her being comfortable calling anyone else by just their first name. Though there was no reason, it had to be true both ways.

"Alright, Yuki," Mamoru said, testing the waters. There no visible response from her, still engrossed in whatever she was typing out. "Do you know when Kadotani-san will get here?"

"No idea. Natsuki is always late." Yuki was utterly uninterested in the whereabouts of her friend and apparently was also indifferent to Izumi being late.

"By the way, what are you typing?" Mamoru asked out of curiosity.

"I am entering the data I could find on our Digimon. It would be helpful to have this as a reference when we start working together." Yuki was already committed to the Project as well. While everyone would find the database helpful, Mamoru was sure that Yuki herself would not have to bother accessing it to recall what she was typing out now. He decided to leave Yuki to her work and began to stroll off.

As they continued to wait for Izumi to appear, Mamoru noticed a girl had sat down next to Yuki. They were dressed incredibly similarly; her skirt was plaid blue instead of Yuki's red; her blazer light grey instead of the caramel colour of Yuki's; and an almost identical red ribbon tie. The girl wore black tights, unlike Yuki or even Noriko who were also in their school uniforms. The most significant contrast between them was their hair. Yuki's was short and black while her's was long and light brown, seeming to near a faint orange. Rare hair colour for someone to have in Japan. Although it was slightly prejudicial, Mamoru could not help but feel that this girl was somewhat vain; having done her hair in a French braid. Although he did not know much about things like hair, he knew that tying it up like that took quite a while. That must be Natsuki, finally arriving close to thirty minutes late.

The lunch hour had now long finished, and the steady stream of office workers that had been transiting through the concourse had died down. Mamoru noticed a salaryman running towards the concourse. He had spiky brown hair that looked quite unruly and wore an orange tie. As he got closer, Mamoru could see that his pants and blazer were mismatched, his jacket being dark grey while his pants were black. This guy must be having a bad day. Mismatched clothes and now it seemed like he was rushing back from his lunch late. What was odd was that he was carrying not just a briefcase but a small duffle bag. Maybe he had just arrived from Tokyo and was late for a business meeting.

Mamoru realized that the salaryman looked familiar, like someone he had seen on the internet. Pulling out his phone, he did a quick search to confirm his suspicions. On the website of the Izumi Corporation, he got his answer.

"Izumi-san!" Kodai called out to him, having realized the same thing.

Izumi waved at them as he continued his steady jog towards them. The sight of him had gotten everyone standing up and huddled together. Mamoru felt it was strange since he would describe himself as only being familiar with Reina, and maybe Kodai. It made him feel no less exposed to be standing with or without the others. The other two older DigiDestined had not moved either. Mamoru supposed he could not blame those still in high school for being a bit shy. The age gap between them and Izumi was wider, large enough to make him seem intimidating just as a working adult. Though Mamoru knew that he was also a bit nervous himself. Izumi was only two or three years older than him but had graduated and ran a company. It was a far cry from his first-year university lessons.

"I sorry," Izumi said as he came to a stop catching his breath. That short jog had winded him. "I got a bit delayed." He starched his hair and had a nervous smile on his face. Mamoru found it a little hard to believe that he was a company president based on his appearance.

"It's no trouble at all," Reina said. "I'm sure you must be very busy running your company."

"It's not the company. We had a little trouble getting here."

"We?" Kodai seemed to blurt out. Mamoru could see the expression on Reina's face change hearing this, irritated that her politeness was being undermined by his careless words.

"Yes," Izumi said, scratching his chin in thought. "Another DigiDestined wanted to come here for—" He hesitated, seeming to be unable to come up with an appropriate word. "She's also here for her e-commerce business. So, we decided to travel together. But she took a while to get around."

"Koshiro! Could you help me?" A high-pitched voice came from behind Izumi. Mamoru had been so fixated on their conversation with Izumi that he had not noticed the woman slowly heading towards them.

She had light brown hair similar to that girl Natsuki. Mamoru immediately noticed the number of accessories she was wearing, bracelets on both arms, a necklace, as well as earrings. Wearing a dress, she looked like she was having a difficult time pulling her large suitcase along.

"Okay, Mimi," Izumi said, calling out to her before turning back to face the group. "Sorry, I thought it would be better to inform you all sooner than we are here."

"No problem Izumi-san," Kodai replied.

"Please call me Koshiro," He said, turning back to face them as he started to jog towards Mimi. "I don't think even those in the company call me by my last name."

Mimi took a little longer than seemed reasonable to roll her luggage to where they were. Koshiro had told them he would be in town for three to four days and seemed to have packed accordingly. Mimi's bag was absurdly large for such a short trip, assuming they were leaving at the same time. The Kyoto DigiDestined remained huddled together, just looking at Koshiro and Mimi head towards them.

"Thank you for waiting!" Mimi said with a bright smile.

"Again, apologies for making all of you wait so long," Koshiro said with a slight bow. "I know Wednesday is the early day for those of you still in high school, so this time must be precious."

"Oh, its no trouble at all." Noriko decided to speak up with Koshiro's statement being directed at the high schoolers. "It is not every day we are contacted about something so important."

Mimi looked confused at Noriko's statement. "Not every day, what?"

"Oh," Noriko squeaked. "Sorry, sorry." Her hands moved to cover her mouth. It was strange since she had said nothing wrong.

"Our Kansai-dialect may take a while to get used to," Reina said covering for an embarrassed Noriko.

"Ah, Kansai, right," Mimi said, still smiling, trying to ease Noriko's embarrassment. "Sorry, I heard everyone speaking so close to standard Japanese that I forgot about that. You guys even called Koshiro using -san instead of -han."

"I think only my grandfather still speaks like that," Kodai said. Mamoru saw the mild irritation return to Reina's face at this statement.

"Eh, Koshiro, you don't seem to have any trouble," Mimi said.

Koshiro chuckled before he replied, "Tentomon speaks with Kansai dialect, I'm used to it." He had an interesting partner Digimon. "Where would all of you like to go and eat." Koshiro continued, "I'll pay for it."

"Eh," Reina said hesitantly, "We can't impose on you like that." The others shuffled around in place, unsure of how to react to Koshiro's offer. Yuki stood still, expressionless. Mamoru could not decipher if it was from overwhelming nervousness or the lack thereof.

"Don't worry," Koshiro insisted, "The Project is asking a lot from you as well, so this is the least I can do."

There was an unease silence as no one responded to this. "How about we go for Kaiseki?" Mimi said, attempting to break the tension.

"Isn't a meal close to ten thousand yen?" Noriko said hesitantly.

"We can't possibly…" Reina began.

"Mimi," Koshiro sighed.

"What?" She responded still cheery. "We are in Kyoto, that is what they're famous for."

"Most of them are still in high school, they can't afford this kind of thing." Between the two of them, it was clear that Koshiro was the more grounded one. "How about this?" He said, turning back to the Kyoto group. "Let's go somewhere you guys normally eat at. We won't mind."

The Kyoto DigiDestined had been paralyzed overthinking what to do. Any place they usually went to seemed unbecoming for a company president to be eating at. On the other hand, they could not politely just go along with an extravagant meal at Koshiro's expense even, if he was okay with that.

"Convenience store," Kodai said.

"We normally get food there," Takeshi added on flatly.

Reina seemed to have had it with Kodai, elbowing him. "You don't expect Koshiro-san and Mimi-san to eat there right."

"We haven't done that in a while, right Koshiro?" Mimi said excitedly. She seemed slightly out of touch but easy-going. It was an abrupt change going from traditional Japanese fine dining to packaged food and canned drinks.

"Are you sure?" It was Reina who interjected.

"It's fine, I haven't had this since university," Koshiro said, smiling. Reina still looked unconvinced, probably more worried about Mimi's real opinion.

"Not since high school for me." Mimi added, "We have a friend whose family runs a convenience store, so we used to do this all the time. It really makes me nostalgic thinking about it." There seemed to be a twinkle in her eyes as she finished speaking.

"See, its settled," Kodai said. The statement seemed to be primarily aimed at Reina. "Takeshi and I will go grab the food. It's a nice day to eat outside on the concourse."

After taking all their orders, the two left while everyone else began to settle down. Mimi's personality seemed to be like a bubblier version of Noriko's. Her charm had managed to put Noriko, Reina and apparently Natsuki at ease. They were now all having a lively conversation together. Yasushi and Mamoru awkwardly sat nearby since they were not directly involved with the conversation.

"Mimi-san," Noriko asked, "so what kind of business do you run?"

"I think you may have heard of it," Mimi took out her phone and began to search for a website. "It's an online fashion and beauty start-up."

Her phone was a model that Mamoru had never seen before. It seemed to come with its own case, Mimi's was a vibrant light green. He could see on the backside of the phone there were the words 'Digimon Link System' written in small print. So this was the D-4 Digivice.

Mimi held up her phone to the others showing them her website. "We sell clothes and accessories. I'm looking to start selling beauty products now. I heard Kyoto has some quality face mask."

This seemed to pique Natsuki's interest as she started talking about all the brands there were and what she recommended. Noriko and Reina joined in as well but were eclipsed by Natsuki's enthusiasm. Mamoru found it impossible to follow along since he knew almost nothing. He decided to see what Koshiro was doing and saw him speaking to Yuki as she worked on her computer. Mamoru knew that he would be lost there as well and decided to just quietly sit and wait for Kodai to return.

Everyone settled down into a makeshift semi-circle on the steps and began to eat their lunch. After they had eaten most of their food, Koshiro got up to address all of them. It was a strange place to be having a meeting. But they were strange teenagers.

"I suppose this is what you've all be waiting for," Koshiro started awkwardly. Mimi gave him a thumbs up from the back of the circle, which seemed to provide him with the boost of confidence he needed.

"The D-4 Project is something I started after what happened last summer. I am not sure how many of you were caught up in it, but it provided us with a lot of new information for Digimon research."

Mamoru looked around to see the other's reactions. To his knowledge, none of those in university now had been caught up in the Eosmon attack since it lasted only a few hours. He only noticed Noriko and Yasushi's facial expression change briefly in response to Koshiro's statement.

"We made a few important discoveries, but perhaps the one most relevant to us is the nature of your relationship with your partners." Koshiro paused, taking a gulp before he continued. "We discovered that Digimon partnerships can end."

The few of them that were still eating immediately stopped.

"Do you mean…" Reina began, it was logical to Mamoru that she would be the most concerned. "That our partners can be killed? Like in battles with other Digimon?"

Koshiro looked uncomfortable. Despite having removed his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, he was still sweating quite a bit. "I think that was always a possibility. Though unlikely since they will probably revert to a Digi-Egg." Reina was clearly relieved by his statement. But the release of tension from her was short-lived as she realized Koshiro was going to continue speaking.

"Perhaps more accurately, we discover partnerships can expire with age. What I mean by that is that your Digimon partner will fade away once you 'grow up'."

The shock hit Mamoru with a twinge of melancholy. His time with Hagurumon was limited? He supposed that there would inevitably be an end since humans can not live forever. Yet he never thought it would be so short. Looking around, he saw similar expressions on everyone's face. They were all apparently all too overwhelmed to ask questions.

Koshiro decided to continue and attempt to anticipate their concerns. "What 'growing up' actually means is not clear. I'm just using it for the lack of a better term. Information we have been able to gather relates it to realizing our potential. Digimon are partnered with children because their potential at the time is undefined and close to limitless. This changes as we grow up and eventually reaches the point where it becomes closed off and fully realized. This apparently caused our Digimon partnerships to end."

Everyone continued to sit in silence. Mamoru decided to ask the question he managed to formulate. "Does this mean choosing a path in life, like a career, brings the end of our partnership?"

He wondered what this meant for him and Hagurumon. Or for that matter, Kodai and Reina as well. By entering university, they had limited many of their options, choosing specific courses. He was not sure what Reina wanted to do, but Kodai had announced his plans. In the back of his mind, he also knew he wanted to continue to graduate studies and beyond. Did this mean that he and Kodai were going to lose their partners soon?

"That is a possibility," Koshiro said. It did not feel like he was patronizing them. He spoke with authority like Yuki did when she was focused. "The DigiDestined in Tokyo are some of the oldest, so some of us have started down that path. Of those of us who have lost our partners; one of them is a doctor, another decided to do Ikebana professionally."

This seemed terrible, it was precisely what Mamoru had described to himself. Two of them who have lost their partners had chosen what they wanted to do in life. Did this mean that the only way to stay with Hagurumon was to thwart his own plans?

"On the other hand," Koshiro continued, "two others were just about to finish university when it happened. And they had, or rather still have, no idea what they specifically want to do. Your exact ages also do not seem to be that important. I have data on partnerships ending as early as fourteen; and even though the doctor was the oldest among us, he was not the first to lose his partner."

Koshiro paused to evaluate the expressions of his audience. Mamoru could see why he was a company president. Despite his slightly awkward personality, he knew when and how to project his confidence and check to make sure the people around him could follow.

"Mimi and I still have our partners, and we're turning twenty-two." Koshiro tactfully added, hoping to elevate the unmistakable sense of dread that had fallen over everyone from Kyoto. Though this seemed to help, it was hardly enough.

"All of you shouldn't worry,' Mimi's voice came from behind. It was bubbly and full of life, unlike Koshiro's more serious tone. "There are still years ahead for you guys."

Whether it was Mimi's personality or her words that cheered everyone up was unclear to Mamoru. But more importantly, it worked. Everyone, Mamoru included, only now began to realize that this meant that they still had at least a few years ahead of them. While it was a worrying realization, it was not an immediate issue.

"Because partnerships are related to our potential, we think that maintaining room to grow in directions different from the path we are on is what sustains this. Either that or charting your own path that is not defined by others."

"Is that why you still have your partners?" Noriko asked. She was uncharacteristically soft now, showing a side that Mamoru had yet to see.

"I suppose so," Koshiro said, rubbing his chin. "Mimi and I have careers determined by our own choices. The others aren't so lucky, being in professions that are already very defined. It is hard to say since it is not as if people stop their growth just because they become adults. None of this is a precise science. A lot of it is mostly theory based on what we can observe instead of it actually being tested."

Everyone, despite being relieved, still looked distinctly dejected. Koshiro none the less decided to continue. "I'm sorry that you have to find out about this. But it is something you all should know instead of being caught by surprise."

"We understand," Kodai said, speaking up on everyone's behalf. "It will just take us a bit of time to process."

Mimi signalled for Koshiro to sit down and give them a little bit of breathing room. Mamoru stopped keeping track of everyone else's expression as they sat mostly in silence. He wished he had found out earlier. Though he was not sure what he would have done differently. Theoretically, the path he was on now to be an academic was one where there was still potential to grow. He would be producing his own work instead of just doing the work of someone else. Yet his mind came back to what Koshiro said about a person doing Ikebana who had lost their partner. It was also creative work that was technically limitless, yet it still happened.

Perhaps it was just inevitable, and he should learn to embrace it. Mamoru knew that he was not really learning anything strictly new. He was just discovering the unavoidable was coming sooner, far sooner than expected.

It made him realize that he never really thought about his exact relationship with Hagurumon. It was clearly one-sided. But Hagurumon was not human, aside from intelligence and what he assumed to be emotional needs, Hagurumon seemed to be devoid of ambition. Even more, all Digimon appeared to have a timeless quality to them. They changed but not nearly as much as humans, having an uncanny consistency about them.

Mamoru decided that he needed to give this information more time before he returned to question. A lot of his inner turmoil was clearly because of his feelings, and no amount of thinking would change that since it was not about having an answer. It was about internalizing something that he knew was already explained.

Koshiro had given them about fifteen minutes to think before he stood up again to continue addressing them. "To move on to the good news," he started a little hesitantly, "because of the research we did into partnerships, we also discovered more about how Digimon evolve."

This grabbed everyone's interest again, and they listened intently. "Digimon evolve by utilizing the potential of their partners. So, reaching further stages of Digivolution is through realizing more of that potential. This naturally comes as we grow older, though there is tension with this fact and the end of partnerships. Humans can only realize more potential by limiting our other options; like when we choose our subjects at school or what we are doing for university."

"Shouldn't that mean everyone will be able to Digivolve to ultimate level past a certain point?" Reina asked. Mamoru knew this was spurred by their chat last week. Even though she did not say much on that day, she was more affected than she was willing to let on.

"In general, yes. But as you might have figured out, it is not that simple. First, we believe that it requires a certain amount of experience in battling. After all, Digimon evolve primarily as a means to increase their combat potential. But more importantly, evolution beyond the champion stage requires a lot of potential to be tapped on, and in a specific manner. While champion level evolution works just of our general potential as humans, ultimate and beyond requires us to tap into specific traits or types of potential."

Mimi seemed to take this as a queue to walk down the stairs to stand next to Koshiro. "Again, this is not an exact science, so it probably differs from person to person. But in essence, we tap on particular traits we have that can be broadly put into a few categories." Koshiro produced from his smartphone a small purple chip while Mimi also pulled out a light green one. Mamoru noticed that this colour matched that of their D-4 Digivices.

"These are our crest," Koshiro said as everyone strained to get a closer look. "Mine is the Crest of Knowledge, while Mimi's is the Crest of Purity. They act as a catalyst that allows our partners to Digivolve to higher levels."

"So, we need one of those?" Noriko asked.

"Not at all," Koshiro continued as Mimi sat down again. "They are a very potent catalyst, which is how we got to Digivolve to ultimate and beyond at a young age. But they are just that, conduits for the potential within you. That is how Kodai-san and Sanada-san were able to Digivolve to ultimate without these crests, they channelled their potential in one of these traits at some point."

"Are there other crests?" Noriko asked.

"Yes, we know of nine in total."

"That's good, I don't really think smart or pure describe me," Noriko said, getting a chuckle from some of the others and a hearty laugh from Yasushi. Mamoru wondered what kind of trait he and Kodai possessed that allowed them to reach ultimate level.

"The crests are just a broad description of traits. Even if Kodai-san or Sanada-san use the same crest as us, there is no reason that the specific traits would be identical." Koshiro paused to open his briefcase in front of him and face it towards the group. "With that being said, the D-4 Digivice we've developed has a material that mimics that of our crest. We think it will allow you to channel your potential more easily, better than with just a normal Digivice alone. Eventually, it should give you all access to further stages of Digivolution."

The D-4 Digivices sat inside Koshiro's briefcase. The eight of them were colourless unlike Mimi's or Koshiro's but other than that they seemed to be identical.

"These are for you all," Koshiro said, pushing them forward. Noriko was the first to reach out and take one of the smartphones. After she broke the tension, everyone else followed slowly after. Even though Mamoru had not decided if he was going to be a part of the Project, feeling swept along by the atmosphere, he eventually reached out to take one as well.

"It can do anything an Izumi Smartphone can," Koshiro said, taking out his own D-4 to use as an example. "It also has all the functions of your D-3 Digivice, in addition to the embedded artificial crest. I should mention that when we tested them that they are nowhere near as potent as the original crest, but that is less important than the potential you all have within yourselves. Lastly but perhaps most importantly, the D-4s contain their own self-contained server which mimics the Digital World. Your partner Digimon can basically jump in and out of your phone which makes bringing them around easier. Though it may take a little bit of getting used for them if they have not been digitized recently."

Everyone had turned on their D-4s and were examining it. It was very much like any other smartphone. The only differences one would notice was the 'Digimon Data Link' banner it displayed when starting up, and the many apps that were related to Digivice functions like Digivolving or data collection. Mamoru saw that Yuki had already plugged her D-4 into her laptop and was starting to tinker with it.

"Koshiro-san, this sounds pretty expensive," Reina said. "Are you sure about giving it to us? Aren't there other DigiDestined around the world who could use this as well?"

"We are making more of them right now," Koshiro said, noticeably avoiding Reina's question of cost. "But they are a little difficult to make with the artificial crest and all—Hoshino-san, that question you asked brings me to my next point. The D-4 Project is more than just the rollout of new Digivices. I am sure all of you have noticed the increase in Digimon appearances lately."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

"We are still determining the exact cause, but it seems that the Digital distortions that cause this are frequent events. They have happened in the past and will happen again. Last year, our two strongest DigiDestined, Taichi and Yamato, lost their partners. That means that we don't have Omnimon to protect us anymore."

Mamoru vaguely knew that something like this had transpired. Though hearing it confirmed felt pressurizing since it meant that their greatest and most famous defender was gone. Omnimon was the only Digimon Mamoru had heard of that was a fusion of two mega level Digimon, reaching an even higher level that was unofficially called the ultra by the DigiDestined.

"Without them, and the loss of two more of our group, there are only eight of us left that can reach ultimate level or higher in Tokyo. Across the world, we also only know of two other DigiDestined in America that can Digivolve to that level as well. With more Digimon appearing we can't be everywhere at once. It also seems that champion level Digimon may no longer be enough to handle their increasing number."

"So, you want us to form another group in Kyoto to take care of the area," Kodai said.

"Precisely," Koshiro said, snapping his fingers. "Right now, it is just a precautionary measure mostly. But it would be helpful. The other DigiDestined and I can cover Tokyo, but we need help elsewhere."

"Umm—" Yasushi seemed hesitant to ask his question. "Wouldn't it be more efficient to give the D-4s to just those who can ultimate Digivolve already?"

Noriko turned to him looking irritated that he had raised that point. Mamoru, in particular, wondered if it would just be more efficient to give the Digivices to the two Americans. From what he could remember, Kodai and himself had only Digivolved to ultimate level less than five times in total. He was worried if he could do it consistently or even still Digivolve to that point at all anymore.

"Willis and Michael can already reach the ultimate stage without D-4s, no problem," Mimi replied.

"More importantly, the two of you were the only others we knew of who had reached ultimate level at all before. So, this seemed like the best place to start." Koshiro said.

"So, we are now officially supposed to protect Kyoto from Digimon?" Noriko asked. There was an excitement to her voice.

"I wouldn't say officially," Koshiro said with a nervous smile. "But as an organized team, yes. I am trying to form more groups like this in Japan and elsewhere."

"Okay!" Noriko stood up rapidly. "Let's do this, everyone!"

"Hold on, hold on," Koshiro said, trying to calm Noriko down. "I asked Kodai-san and Sanada-san specifically to organize you all because they are adults—Actually, I am sorry for not contacting you as well Hoshino-san." Koshiro bowed towards Reina. "It's not very responsible to have high schoolers running around on their own."

"Didn't we do that all the time?" Mimi said.

"Mimi," Koshiro sighed, she was not helping things. "Okay, we did that because there were no adults that could help us most of the time. That doesn't make it a good thing. Especially since some of us are now adults."

"Have you guys settled on the details your Kyoto group?" Mimi asked, looking at the three university students.

"No, not yet. We need a bit more time." Mamoru said. "And we probably still have quite a few questions."

"I understand, it's a big step up," Koshiro said.

"Koshiro, it's getting pretty late," Mimi said. Mamoru checked his new D-4, and it showed the time was almost 5pm. "We better check into a hotel soon."

"Ah, right, right," Koshiro said. Mamoru noticed a slight blush on his face. "Do you guys have any recommendations?"

"There are some cheap hotels just south of the station," Noriko replied quickly. Mamoru recognized the bounce in her voice, she had just said something cheeky.

"Yeah, those are pretty reasonable," Yasushi added on, not missing a beat. Mamoru was very suspicious now. Racking his brain while Mimi and Koshiro pondered their decision, Mamoru realized that those two had just recommended them to go to a love hotel district.

"How about a place in Gion." Mamoru blurted out, trying to advert Koshiro and Mimi staying there. Noriko and Yasushi turned to look at him, receiving a glare from Mamoru. Noriko returned a sly smile before looking away.

"Let's stay in a Ryokan," Mimi said ecstatically. Mamoru was relieved that they had taken his suggestion, even if it was quite an opulent one.

"Do you all mind having dinner around there as well?" Koshiro asked, "If there are more questions, you would like us to answer."

There were general nods of agreement from everyone, all still curious about what exactly they would be doing as part of the Project.

"I need to drop off an assignment at school first," Mamoru said. "I'll meet you all in Gion?"

"Same," Kodai added.

"Alright, see you both there then," Mimi said, waving as the two of them headed off.

While it was true that he had an assignment due, it was not until midnight. Mamoru really just wanted some time alone to think about what he had just heard. Kodai presumably wanted the same thing.


	4. Gion Blitz

**Chapter 4: Gion Blitz**

Going through Gion with the others would have been the fastest way to return to Kyoto University's Yoshida campus. Instead, Mamoru took a roundabout route going north to the Kyoto Imperial Palace before cutting east across the Kamo river. As his bus cross the Ohashi bridge, he could see the blazing orange sky reflected off the water below. The days were growing shorter as autumn set in.

In his seat, Mamoru took out his new smartphone and compared it to his D-3 Digivice. The D-4 Koshiro gave him was still spotless, its gloss coating unscratched. On the other hand, his D-3 was scuffed everywhere, and its dark maroon grips were faded. It was a simple question being posed to him, though it felt anything but simple. Was he going to help them?

Yet it was surprisingly hard to answer. Although nascent, the group seemed to be fine without him. Clearly, it was Kodai who would be at the helm. Just between him and Noriko, there appeared to be more than enough motivation. Mamoru did feel bad at the thought of distancing himself while Reina was straining to be involved. Perhaps more importantly, being involved seemed to be in the best interest of Hagurumon.

What he learnt from Koshiro seemed intuitive, those there was an evident contradiction. If Digivolving to a higher stage required greater realized potential, in essence, the development of specific individual traits. This seemed to bring him closer to losing Hagurumon since humans could only ever be excellent in at most a few areas. Maybe the perfect person could surpass this, but Mamoru knew he was just human. Digivolving to higher stages could very well be the cause of a partnership eroding quicker. It might be the price they pay for to tap into that power. That was the obvious conclusion. Which meant that joining the project would be hastening the inevitable.

Mamoru had alighted the bus and was walking down Higashioji Avenue again, this time from further north, heading towards his dorm. He continued to hold out both his D-4 and D-3 Digivices in each hand, pondering what he would do. The temperature was dropping, but it had yet to become uncomfortable to have his hands out in the cold.

"Mamoru," A female voice called out to him.

Mamoru turned to his left where the voice had come from. He was passing by the Kizuna student lounge building. Coming out the door was a girl in a black fleece jacket waving at him. Her red-rimmed glasses were unmistakable. That was Asuka.

"Yo, Asuka," Mamoru said as he slowed his pace down.

She jogged from the porch of the building, catching up with him shortly on the main road. "Are you heading back to the dorms?"

"Yeah," Mamoru replied. Why did Asuka always have to be so energetic?

"Is that your Digimon-thingy?" Asuka said, pointing towards the D-3 Digivice in his hand.

"It's a Digivice," Mamoru replied flatly. He usually kept it out of sight. It felt carless to be holding it out in the open, even if Asuka already knew about him being a DigiDestined.

"Did you just come back from something to do with that?" Asuka was now in front, walking backwards to keep facing him.

"Yeah," Mamoru knew that her curiosity would not let up. "I'm just dropping off my essay before I head back."

"Home? In the middle of the week?"

"No… I've got more stuff to settle."

"More Digimon stuff?" Asuka smirked.

"Yeah. Is it that easy to tell?"

"Of course," Asuka said with a wink. Sometimes Mamoru found her to be a bit insufferable. Not unlike Noriko. Thinking about their similarities, he realized it was the other way around. He found Noriko familiar because she was like Asuka. "I haven't seen you in the library this week."

"Yet. I was just finishing the essay in my room."

"Oh? One of your masterpieces then?" Asuka knew that if he secluded himself away, it meant that he wanted to seriously focus.

"Hopefully," Mamoru knew that this was not likely. He had spent his time deliberating on what to do about the Project with Kodai and Reina. Not to mention dealing with Noriko's messages.

"So, these people you're meeting, anyone I would know?"

Asuka was noisier than usual now. They had just passed the bus stop she usually travelled back home to Uji from. If she was willing to walk all the way to the Yoshida dorms, she really wanted to pry.

"Reina," He began, hoping to disinterest her with the obvious. "two current students from Todoh,"

"Are any of them my juniors?" Asuka asked.

"Nakajima Yasushi and Kosaka Noriko. Neither of them is in the concert band."

"Ah, I see." Asuka was irritating when she got like this. "I know a Kosaka, but not this one. I think yours is in the student council."

This caused Mamoru's eye to twitch despite his efforts to control his reaction. "I thought Noriko was Reina's junior from the literature club?"

"Eh, she is just Noriko to you?" Asuka said, raising her eyebrows. Mamoru cursed his lack of caution. "Yes, she was in Reina's club. I have been told, by certain people, that she joined the student council this year."

"You still talk to your juniors?" Mamoru replied, deciding there was no point trying to correct her.

"Of course, I am very supportive. I went to see them play last month." Asuka said in a sickeningly sweet tone. The irony was that what she said was objectively true. She was just incapable of just being upfront about it. "Now you talk to them too. So, who else is there?"

"There is another first-year university student, Kodai Hiroki. He studies at Ritsumei. His junior from Rakusei High, Nagato Takeshi, a second-year. Then there is Akiyama Yuki, she is a first-year from Kacho Girl's High. And lastly, there is Kadotani Natsuki, a second-year from Tachibana High, but I haven't talked to her yet."

"Eww, Tachibana," Asuka said. It probably had something to do with concert bands, but Mamoru could not be bothered to ask. "So, you talk to them often?"

"Not particularly,"

"Not even Noriko-chan?" Asuka did a small bounce as she said it.

"Oh, grow up Asuka." Mamoru groaned.

"Okay, okay, you seem off today." They were now standing outside the entrance to the Yoshida Dormitory. "Anyway, I'm gonna head home now. Take care okay?" Asuka's smile now was different from earlier in the conversation. After knowing Asuka throughout high school, he knew was that this was genuine.

"Thanks, Asuka. See you tomorrow."

With Asuka gone, Mamoru quickly entered his room to retrieve his essay. Today was the one time he regretted not living at home. He would have been able to pick up Hagurumon and test out his D-4's Digimon server capability. It was a short walk back to the Faculty of Letters to drop it off before he returned to the bus stop.

Mamoru took the time on the bus to transfer his contacts and download a few applications on to his D-4. After downloading LINE, Mamoru received a message from Noriko telling him they were waiting for them at the Yasaka Shrine. Kodai had also informed them that he would be slightly late. If it took him this long to get from Nijo to Gion, there was no way he could manage Digimon appearances by himself.

The sun had almost set as Mamoru alighted in front of Yasaka Shrine. The streetlights had come on, and the venerable crimson shrine gate was bathed in a warm yellow light. As he entered the temple grounds, Mamoru could see the DigiDestined standing together in front of a smaller shrine lined with lanterns. Noriko, still flanked by Yasushi, waved at him to join them. From the sound of it, they were debating where to go for dinner. Everyone seemed to be much more comfortable around Koshiro and Mimi now, aside from Yuki who was her distant self. Though Koshiro had talked to her earlier, which was more than he could say for the rest of them.

"Mamoru, settle our debate," Noriko said the moment he came within range. "Where should we go for dinner?"

"I don't know," He replied on reflex. "No Kaiseki."

"See Mimi-san, we can't eat there." Mamoru had unknowingly said the right thing. "I am pretty sure there is a Kaiseki meal already included in your Ryokan stay."

"There is an Italian restaurant nearby." Mimi countered. While Reina seemed genuinely worried by her latest statement, Noriko looked like she was having fun with her back and forth with Mimi.

"Mimi-san" Noriko repeated. Mamoru could definitely see the resemblance between her and Asuka when she used that tone.

"How about French? Koshiro can order for us, in French." Mimi said, turning over to Koshiro.

"Eh? Don't drag me into this." Koshiro was just letting things happen. "Also, my French isn't that good."

They decided to begin wandering around Gion since Kodai had yet to arrive. The few trees along the street had turned from golden to a deep red. Even on a weekday night, the streets were lively with tourist season picking up. After passing by numerous fine dining restaurants, they finally reached a part of Gion that had some more affordable food. They settled on a small Ramen shop at one of the main road's junction.

Reina had set up an even smaller chat group for just the three university-aged DigiDestined and was using it to try and get a hold of Kodai. She seemed to have become concerned after Kodai messaged saying to go ahead without him for dinner. Mamoru guessed that he must be rushing his assignment right now. It was the most likely explanation given his priorities.

Dinner had ended, and there was still no sign of Kodai, though he was not missing much. So far, all they had discussed was that the three older students would act as the primary liaison between the Kyoto group and Koshiro's company. On paper, this meant that they were in-charge and responsible for what happened. This made Mamoru slightly uncomfortable, but it was just spelling out what was already de facto happening. He was hoping to talk to Koshiro privately about his involvement before the others got too with their plans. Since that had failed, Mamoru did not feel like he could suddenly tell the high schoolers that he was withdrawing. It would have a corrosive effect on their confidence without Kodai around. The best course of action was likely to wait and slowly decrease his involvement to avoid any shock.

"That was good," Mimi said as they left the Ramen shop. "But I think Daisuke's noodles are still better."

"Who is that?" It was Natsuki who spoke. Mamoru believed that this was the first time he heard her voice.

"A friend of ours." Mimi replied, "Another DigiDestined, slightly closer to your age."

Koshiro, who was in front of everyone, stopped walking as his phone buzzed. It was a very distinctive ringtone. One Mamoru could not imagine anyone would use for all their messages. As Koshiro checked his D-4, everyone else's new smartphones began to go off as well. Mamoru checked his phone and confirmed his suspicions. There was an in-built alert system for Digimon appearances. His D-4 announced that there was a large digital distortion in Gion, its approximate location less than a hundred meters south of them.

"We don't have our Digimon," Noriko said in a flustered tone.

"Mimi and I can handle this," Koshiro said, turning to grab Mimi's hand. "Our Digimon are in Tokyo, but our phones are connected to my company's server. They can be here in less than five minutes."

"No," Takeshi said. "We're supposed to protect Kyoto, we'll handle this." The bag containing his kendo armour started to rustle, its contents seeming to come alive. Jumping out of the bag was a small Digimon that looked like a child in an adult's kendo gear.

"That's Kotemon," Yuki said softly.

Mamoru could not see the Digimon's face clearly through the protective mesh of its helmet. The only thing visible was its glowing yellow eyes. Despite being covered mostly in armour, Mamoru could see that it was reptilian Digimon. It had a tail sticking out and had claws on its feet.

"You had your Digimon with you the whole time?" Mamoru said, both impressed and slightly concerned. He had been carrying his partner around in plain sight, relying on their discipline not to reveal themselves. Mamoru could not imagine his or even any of the other's Digimon being capable of that level of self-control.

"Kotemon doesn't speak much," Takeshi said. The two of them were alike in that respect.

"I got this too," Yasushi said. He placed his finger in his mouth and whistled loudly. A small cloud descended from the rooftop of a building next to them. It was an animal Digimon, though its hindlegs were whisp of thick smoke. Its head was protected by a metal helmet, and two tusks protruded from its mouth. It reminded Mamoru of a Baku from Japanese folklore.

"That is Tapirmon," Yuki said.

"It is a large distortion, though," Koshiro said. "I am not sure just two Digimon are enough."

"Please step in only if we start losing control," Takeshi said, bowing to Koshiro.

Koshiro hesitated for a moment before replying. "I understand,"

The DigiDestined turned back onto Higashidori Avenue and continued south towards the distortion. As they reached the next junction, they saw a small crowd gathered. From a distance, it seemed that they were crowding around the Kimono rental store. On closer inspection, they were looking upwards at the stone Torii gate beside it. Perched on top of it was what looked like a mochi or mushroom shaped creature with limbs.

Mamoru turned to Yuki who was busy typing on her D-4. "It is an Igamon, a ninja Digimon."

The Digimon clad in red stood atop the Torii on one leg, its hands clasped one on its sword and the other on its gigantic shuriken. It almost looked impressive to Mamoru, its bandana fluttering in the breeze. If not for the fact that knew it was a dangerous Digimon, he might also be part of the crowd snapping pictures.

"It's doesn't seem like its causing trouble," Reina said. Her words were like a jinx. Igamon immediately sprung into the air from the Torii gate, readying to attack with its shuriken.

"Let's go!" Yasushi said as he took out his D-4.

Tapirmon charged forward, transforming at the same time. A translucent light blue barrier formed between the crowd and the shuriken coming from above. Mamoru heard glass, or maybe ice, fracturing as the shuriken impacted the barrier, bouncing back to the Igamon.

As the burst of light subsided, Mamoru could see Tapirmon had become a humanoid Digimon. He was now clad in a silver cloak and hat, wielding a staff with a snowflake-shaped headpiece. Mamoru found it interesting that Yasushi and Noriko had such similar Digivolutions. Sorcermon seemed to be an alternate version of Wizardmon.

The Igamon caught the shuriken and landed on Sorcermon's crystal shield. The force of Igamon's landing almost forced Sorcermon down into the crowd. Sorcermon managed to recover, floating only inches above their heads. His shield was still hovering in front of his outstretched hand, damaged but still intact. Rebounding through the air, the Igamon somersaulted, landing on the roof of a nearby building.

"Don't let it get away," Takeshi said, dashing in the direction of the Digimon.

Gion was a historical area of Kyoto and the tallest building there were not more than three or four stories. They were still able to see the Igamon leap from roof to roof as they chased it from street level. The crowd around the Torii had disappeared in panic when the Igamon attacked. Their confusion was spreading throughout Gion. This was far worse than any of the previous incidents which had been in sparsely travelled areas at odd hours. Mamoru wondered how they would manage the media attention this caught; if it was even possible to manage it as a bunch of students.

As they continued deeper into the historic area of Gion, Reina and Yuki were frantically texting on their D-4s as they ran. While it was obvious Reina was contacting Kodai, Mamoru was unsure what Yuki was doing.

"Yuki? Who are you messaging?" He said as they continued jogging down the smaller back streets.

"Gomamon, I told him to wait at home on my computer. My house is nearby."

The Igamon stopped running and jumped from above, it's sword drawn. Sorcermon was flying behind them and dove down to block the attack. Before he could intervene, Mamoru heard a shout from Takeshi. It was a battle cry. Kotemon began to Digivolve, his black kendo armour started to transform into a more historic red samurai armour. The bamboo shinai it carried grew longer, turning into a large black nodachi. On the Digimon's kabuto helmet was a fearsome golden face.

"Musyamon, stop him!" Takeshi ordered.

The terrifying samurai Digimon intercepted the Igamon's blade using its left shoulder guard. As the Igamon tried to dislodge its blade from the armour, Musyamon raised the hilt of his sword, pummeling the Igamon. The Digimon flew back move than ten meters from the force of the blow before it could recover and resume its escape. Sorcermon had been diving so fast that it was barely able to stop in time to avoid colliding with the newly evolved Musyamon.

Their chase continued until they reached the Sanneizaka shopping district. The area was becoming increasingly packed with tourist worrying Mamoru. Musyamon's fearsome appearance seemed to be sowing more chaos than the actual Digimon attack. The wild Digimon seemed to sense it was becoming cornered, or that the mass of people made this a suitable location to stand and fight. It dropped down to street level, causing the people around to scatter at the sight of such an unusual creature. Musyamon raised its blade overhead, prepared to strike.

Igamon lunged forward, punching the samurai Digimon before he had time to bring his blade down. That little mushroom ninja was fast—the uppercut connected with Musyamon's unprotected chin causing him to stumble back in a daze. Sorcermon had just reached the front of the strung-out group of students and took aim at the Igamon with his staff.

Looking up to confirm that Sorcermon was ready, Yasushi gave his order. "Sorcermon, Drowning Aquarius."

A high-pressure jet of water shot out from his staff aimed squarely at the ninja Digimon. The Igamon leapt into the air, easily avoiding the attack. It countered with its shuriken. Sorcermon struggled to stop the deluge and conjure his defensive shield. Right before the projectile was about to strike him, the icy barrier formed in front of his outreached hand. The shuriken penetrated the centre of the shield, releasing a jet of ice vapour as the shield crack. As the cloud began to clear, Mamoru could see that the shield had successfully stopped the rest of the shuriken from passing through despite its fractured state.

"Hit him back, Crystal Barrage!"

Sorcermon dissipated its shield, letting the shuriken fall harmlessly to the ground. He raised his staff ready, tracking the Igamon and it descended back to the ground from its attack.

"Musyamon, Shogun Sword!" Takeshi also ordered.

The samurai surged forward, his sword now ablaze with an unearthly blue fire. There was a shout of excitement from Noriko as it looked like they had the Igamon boxed in. It was interrupted by another shout from Koshiro. Mamoru could not make out what they were saying, but Koshiro's cry seemed like a warning.

The Igamon on touching the ground swiftly skipped backwards. Musyamon continued to charge forward, and Sorcermon kept his staff aimed at the Igamon. Before Mamoru could interrupt, Sorcermon fired off a barrage of ice shards. The icicles slammed into Musyamon's back, having been lured into the firing line by Igamon. Musyamon groaned in pain, only kept upright by plunging its sword into the ground as a support.

Igamon responded swiftly to their lack of coordination, leaping into the air again. Sorcermon tried to materialize its shield. He was sluggish, thrown off-tempo after the friendly fire incident. The Igamon's sword was too fast to see. Mamoru only caught a glimpse of flashing steel before he saw Sorcermon falling out of the sky. Landing next to the injured Musyamon, Mamoru could see Sorcermon's cloak had been slashed through in multiple places.

Neither Digimon looked to be in any condition to fight. Perhaps Muysamon could continue, but there seemed to be no chance of winning alone. As the Igamon prepared to attack again, Koshiro and Mimi took out their D-4s, ready to bring out their partners. Though Mamoru knew it would be too slow. The battle situation had been reversed so quickly that no one had any time to react. The Igamon levelled its blade at the samurai and surged forward, ready to deal a knockout blow.

Everything moved in slow motion for Mamoru. Takeshi yelled at his partner to get up. Noriko was trying to pull Yasushi away from his fallen Digimon. Koshiro and Mimi were moving forward, but they would not be ready in time. A growl resounded throughout Sanneizaka. As the Igamon was about to make contact, an orange blur leapt past Mamoru. The crash of steel reverberated through the air.

"Just in time," Kodai said as he ran up to them.

Stopping the Igamon's blade just a few inches before it made contact was the sword Sishiou-maru. The lion-man grunted as he forced the Igamon back using his blade. Kodai's partner had saved them.

"I'll handle this," Kodai said, his hand still in his bomber jacket's pockets. "Leomon, Juouken."

The Igamon rushed forward again to attack. Energy concentrated in Leomon's free hand, creating a burning orange aura. Mamoru was worried that he would not be able to outspeed the ninja. As the Igamon came within a few paces of Leomon, he released his attack. A blast in the shape of a lion's head shot out of his fist, slamming straight into the Igamon. The Digimon tore up the stone pavement as it was flung back, landing unconscious.

Yuki quickly ran forward, prompting Natsuki to follow her in concern. Leomon kept the Igamon pinned down as precaution until Yuki arrived. Taking out her D-4, she opened an application causing the phone's screen to go completely white. Pointing it at the Igamon, the Digimon was sucked in, returning it to the Digital World.

"I forgot to brief you about that function," Koshiro said apologetically as they regrouped. Good thing Yuki had closely examined their D-4s, unlike the rest of them.

Kodai was clearly the most proficient at combat among them. He was able to dispatch the Igamon in a single blow despite it being almost unharmed by the other Digimon. Mamoru had no doubt that Takeshi was a strong fighter, but he was just not fast enough to match Igamon's speed. Yasushi's partner also had potent attacks, but he was not able to control them effectively. Musyamon and Sorcermon both degenerated into their rookie states. Tapirmon was still unconscious while Kotemon was unable to stand.

"Idiot," Takeshi said, turning to face Yasushi.

"It's my fault," He replied despondently, picking up Tapirmon.

"Of course, it is."

Yasushi was overcome by a deep scowl at the repeated emphasis of his mistake. It was a poor move by Takeshi after he had already accepted responsibility.

"Don't get in my way then." Yasushi retorted.

"Incompetent bastard." Takeshi's hands seemed to reach for the shinai he was carrying, ready to turn this physical.

Mamoru and Kodai were ready to step in before violence erupted. As the two high schoolers neared each other prepared to fight, Yuki interrupted them.

"The disruption is not over. There is another Digimon nearby."

Koshiro and Mimi were already facing in that direction, looking at their D-4s for addition information.

"We'll settle this later," Takeshi said as he also picked up his Digimon.

The group headed north towards the approximate location of the continued disturbance. As they reached the edge of the shopping district, the noise of the general panic subsided as the crowd thinned out. They were able to hear what sounded like a trombone in the distance. It was distorted and awful on the ears, but it was peculiar enough to attract the interest of the DigiDestined. They rounded the Sanneizaka path to see a green frog with a tuba apparently wrapped around its neck. It was locked in combat with a much shorter white and purple Digimon.

"Gomamon," Yuki said, louder than usual.

Leomon wasted no time, charging forward with its sword drawn. With a single slash, it knocked the green frog-like Digimon down the path. The group ran ahead to check on Yuki's partner. Aside from some scratches, he appeared to be alright.

"What were you thinking," Yuki said as she squatted down next to him. "Going up against a champion level Digimon like Gekomon by yourself?"

"Yuki," Gomamon croaked. "There is something not right about that Digimon."

"We better go check it out," Mamoru said. It should have been able to trounce Gomamon, but it seemed almost sluggish in its movements.

Remembering how Yuki struggled to carry Gomamon herself, Mamoru offered to pick him up. The DigiDestined continued down the path until the four-story pagoda of the Hokanji Temple was in sight. Lying on the trail was the Gekomon, seemingly dispatched by Leomon's attack.

"Keep back," Koshiro suddenly said, his arm raised up to block the path. "I've seen something like this before."

Mamoru looked closer at the Gekomon and noticed small distortions on its body. Occasionally portions of it would become pixelated before reverting to normal. Not unlike what happened when Clockmon used his Chronobreaker on enemies. Koshiro pulled out his D-4 and began to analyze the Gekomon. The rest continued to watch from a distance as the Gekomon seemed to stir occasionally in pain.

"It's a virus," Koshiro announced. "Let me check on Gomamon."

Mamoru held out Gomamon in front of Koshiro's Digivice. From the corner of his eye, he could see Yuki's ordinarily stoic expression cracking up. Were her eyes becoming watery?

"He seems to be fine." As Koshiro said that, Mamoru could see Yuki slump forward slightly. "I don't think the virus can be transmitted directly. But I can only be certain after more research."

"So, what about the Gekomon?" Reina said, "We can't just send it back to the Digital World like that."

"It's not safe for it to remain here," Kodai said.

"The virus originates in the Digital World anyway," Mamoru added. It was likely a natural phenomenon. After all, there were virus and vaccine type Digimon. It made sense that there were also computer viruses that could infect them.

As the group began to approach the Gekomon, it seemed to convulse. It jerked violently as the pixelation seemed to get worse, taking over more of its body. The group paused their advance, wary of what might happen. Kodai and Leomon plucked up the courage to approach ahead of the group alone. As they neared the Digimon, Mamoru could see that it was beginning to distort the space around it.

In a burst of light, the Gekomon began to overgrow in size. Kodai backed off quickly as the Digimon grew to be more than three stories tall. A second tuba sprouted from its left shoulder as its skin reddened.

"It Digivovled," Koshiro and Yuki said at the same time.

"You guys can't handle a ShogunGekomon, let us take over," Koshiro said as he readied his Digivice again.

"We'll just Digivolve to ultimate as well," Kodai said turning to Leomon.

"It seems to be some kind of forced evolution virus." Koshiro continued. "It may be too strong to take on."

"There isn't anyone else," Kodai said, before turning back to face the gigantic red Digimon. It looked to have finished evolving, sprouting a green leafy collar. The ShogunGekomon sat down, sending a shockwave throughout the area from its sheer weight.

Kodai held out his D-4 Digivice. The panel lining on the back of the phone turned orange as Leomon began to glow. Kodai's partner was now encased in white metallic armour. On the Digimon's forearms and shins were rapidly revolving turbines. It had been over two years since Mamoru had last seen GrapLeomon. In fact, the ShogunGekomon was the first wild ultimate level Digimon they had ever encountered.

"GrapLeomon, Cyclone Turbine," Kodai said.

GrapLeomon leapt into the air, turbines whirling ever faster. It sounded like aa jet engine. If he had to listen to this much longer in such proximity, he would go deaf. The armoured lion spun through the air delivering a roundhouse kick to ShogunGekomon's stomach. Mamoru felt a blast of air rush past him, generated from the sheer force of the impact. GrapLeomon had struck right in the centre of the giant frog's stomach.

The ShogunGekomon rocked backwards from the blow but did not topple. GrapLeomon pushed himself back off the beast stomach, landing just in front of Kodai. Unbelievable, the attack seemed to have almost no effect. The red toad groaned but quickly righted itself, its facial expression unchanged.

Mamoru turned to see Koshiro and Mimi's worried expressions. If a head-on attack from an ultimate level Digimon failed to do anything, it would be impossible to win without their help. Realizing this as well, Koshiro and Mimi held out their Digivices, producing an insect and a plant type Digimon. As their two partners began to Digivolve, the ShogunGekomon bellowed. Turning back to Kodai, he was still standing his ground. Though it was clear he was under sure of what to do with the failure of a direct unhindered attack.

The horrible trombones on ShogunGekomon sounded. Mamoru saw what looked like a blast of solid air fly directly at them. Kodai and GrapLeomon rushed to intercept the shot. They had used themselves as shields. Though it was just soundwaves, the blast knocked both off them off their feet. Mamoru placed Gomamon in Yuki's care and ran forward to check on Kodai. He was flat on the floor, barely conscious. As the toad prepared another attack, Reina also ran forward followed by Noriko. The three of them desperately attempted to move Kodai out of the way. GrapLeomon could probably take another blow, but Kodai was just human. They would not make it in time, none of them having the strength to carry him.

As Mamoru saw the red toad prepare another blast, he heard the high-pitched buzzing of an insect. Leaping over him was a human-shaped cactus with boxing gloves and flying overhead was a four-armed insect. The walking plant rushed up to the ShogunGekomon and delivered a resounding punch. Like GrapLeomon's attack, it had little effect, but it did disrupt the next blast. Taking advantage of the distraction, the insect Digimon flew in overhead slamming into ShogunGekomon's head.

"Should we Digivolve to the next level?" Mimi asked while advancing with Koshiro to where Kodai was lying.

"I don't think so. If Togemon Digivolves to Lillymon, she won't have the physical strength she does now. We also don't know if Flower Wreath will have any effect. I think if you coordinate with Kabuterimon, we should be able to knock it out without resorting to that." Koshiro said.

Mamoru was impressed by his calm analysis of the situation. Until Koshiro said it, he had not considered that Digivolving to a high-level could also have its disadvantages. They had also remained much calmer than any one of the Kyoto DigiDestined. The experience gap between them was tremendous.

"Kabuterimon," Koshiro said, "air attack."

The insectoid Digimon backed off before circling around. It looked like it was going in for an attack run. As Kabuterimon swooped in, Togemon also leapt backwards into his flight path. They looked like they were about to collide, just like the mistake they had made earlier. Kabuterimon abruptly started climbing, catching Togemon using his legs as he ascended. At the apex of their ascent, Kabuterimon released Togemon before surging forward alone.

As the cactus Digimon fell from the sky, it began to spin rapidly. Needles hailed down on the ShogunGekomon, causing small explosions all over its head as Togemon descended slowly. Kabuterimon was now right on top of the ShogunGekomon and fired off a large blast of violet electrical energy. The combined attacks aimed at its more vulnerable head were too much for the Digimon, and it collapsed backwards.

Koshiro and Mimi quickly ran forward to send the ShogunGekomon back to the Digital World before it could recover. As both their partners landed, they began to degenerate back into their rookie forms. There was little time to celebrate as the sound of sirens could be heard. Someone must have finally called the emergency services, though it would have been of little help.

"Everyone, get your Digimon into your D-4s now," Koshiro said. "We don't want to get stopped by the police over this."

Those with partners present held out their phones, allowing their partners to jump in. Reina had to help Kodai who was still disoriented from the attack. The only protest came from Mimi's partner. She placated Palmon with a whimsical sounding promise that Mamoru lacked the context to fully understand.

"You guys did a good job," Koshiro said, trying to cheer them up. "None of the bystanders were hurt, and the damage was kept to a minimum. It's not your fault that a Digimon appeared that you couldn't handle."

Mamoru wondered what would have happened without them. Kodai might not even have been able to Digivolve to ultimate level again without the aid of the D-4. The Kyoto DigiDestined needed to become stronger if they had any chance of being independent.

"Are you okay, Kodai?" Reina asked as he shakily stood up.

"I'll be okay." He replied unconvincingly. "Is Bearmon okay?"

"He's sleeping inside your phone," Reina said, holding up his Digivice. Sure enough, there was a sprite of Bearmon peacefully asleep beneath the application icons on his phone's home screen.

"That's good," Kodai said, rubbing his temple.

"I think we should get out of her for now," Koshiro said. "I have more research to do so I'll be busy for the next few days. My number is on your Digivices so just message me if anything comes up."

"Let's go guys," Kodai said as Takeshi took his arm over his shoulder to support him. "Maybe it's better if your parents also don't know that you were in Gion tonight."

Reina looked irritated at the irresponsible suggestion that Kodai had offered. Though ultimately, she said nothing about it. Noriko gave him a cocky smile and a thumbs-up as if she were already planning to do precisely what he said.

"I'll handle the media, or at least try to," Koshiro said. Mimi whispered what sounded like a question into his ear. "Yeah, I'll ask Taichi." He replied, forgetting to lower his volume enough.

"Take care, everyone!" Mimi chirped as the two of them separated from the group.

Mamoru lingered behind to make sure that no one had dropped anything. As he left to catch up with the group, he looked over to see Mimi and Koshiro had linked their arms together. Mamoru guessed that Noriko was right about their relationship.

They reached Higashidori Avenue and the group prepared to split off. Reina, Noriko, and Yasushi were waiting for the bus back to Uji. Yuki and Natsuki apparently lived in northern Higashiyama while Kodai and Takeshi lived on the other side of Kyoto. Though before they could break off, the two boys looked like they were about to get into a fight again.

"What do you want?" Yasushi said, responding to Takeshi's glares.

"You're lucky I have to help Kodai-senpai." He looked as if he wanted to further escalate things. After holding eye contact for a few seconds in silence, Takeshi looked away once Kodai quietly nudged him.

"You're always like this Takeshi."

"Nagato, call me Nagato." He said even more irritated. Mamoru made a mental note of that to avoid future conflict. It seemed that he took a lot after Kodai.

Once they were out of earshot, Noriko erupted at Yasushi. "You don't have to antagonize him even more."

"He's the one who wouldn't let up." Yasushi retorted.

"Oh, grow up, you nerd." She said pouting. Mamoru found it ironic that she of all people was making that statement.

Deciding that nothing productive would come from discussing what happening without some rest, he decided to head off. Mamoru waved goodbye to Reina and purposely ignored Noriko much to her irritation. He started to walk north with Yuki and Natsuki since they were headed the same way. They seemed to be a quiet pair, though he realized it could be his presence that caused them to clam up. He decided to take this as an opportunity to check in on Yuki.

"Are you okay?" Mamoru wanted to be specific and reference Gomamon but decided against it.

She did not reply verbally and simply nodded. There was not much he could do from there and just decided to enjoy the rest of their walk in silence.


	5. Todoh Senior High School 'Occult Research' Club

**Chapter 5: Todoh Senior High School 'Occult Research' Club**

Mamoru was happy at how the last two weeks had panned out. His frankly half-baked essay had scored relatively well despite his other preoccupation. Another write up of his had been accepted for publication in a student academic journal. Despite his best attempts to explain what he was writing about when he met Reina and Asuka, they simply found it too esoteric. He could not blame them. Before university, he had never heard of the word 'Eudaimonia' either.

There had been quite a few Digimon appearances in that time. Though Mamoru only had to respond to one, with most of them being in the west or south Kyoto. Kodai had been run ragged by the numerous incidents he responded to. His condition immediately after Gion was quite concerning. Reina noticed that he had trouble hearing her sometimes, but he seemed to have recovered when the three of them last met. If this were the tempo he could expect from the D-4 Project, Mamoru believed that he could live with it.

Koshiro had managed to do some damage control with the media. The last major Digimon incident that had happened in Tokyo saw the Self-Defense Forces being called in. Though much smaller in scale, ShogunGekomon's appearance would look like most people to be something out of Godzilla. The lack of public calls for intervention by the army indicated that something was going on behind the scenes. That was the only piece of good news. The last thing Mamoru wanted was soldiers mobilizing from the Uji army camp to the streets of Kyoto. So far, the only government agency that had made at statement was the National Data Processing Bureau, promising there would be preparations for future incidents. Mamoru had never heard of them, but he guessed that Koshiro had something to do with their involvement.

Even then, there were still plenty of disparaging remarks. It was frustrating to see so many people believe that the military could do something about Digimon. Or worse, that they were merely wild animals to be culled. Clearly, their weapons were ineffective based on their past attempts. Yet when Mamoru calmed down, he realized that if he were in their position, he would not be able to see any other solution.

His mood was even good enough that Noriko's badgering had not seemed nearly as irritating. Ahead on his work and feeling good about his recent accomplishments, he decided to indulge Noriko. Mamoru agreed to meet her and Yasushi on the weekend for an outing. The first sign that something was amiss was that Noriko had requested them to meet near the Amagase Dam. It was quite a way outside of town, but Mamoru decided to treat it as a nature walk like his weekly climbs up Daikichiyama.

"Hey, Senpai!" Noriko shouted as he strolled up the Uji river's bank. She was further ahead on the road pushing her bicycle. Alongside her was Yasushi, awkwardly trying to balance his bike so they could walk abreast on the narrow path.

Mamoru groaned internally at the sound of being called that. He saw that they both were in their school uniform. It was not unusual for clubs to have activities on the weekend, though Mamoru wondered why they did not stop by their home to change before their meeting. He remembered the black gakuran uniform to be uncomfortable, and that Asuka had similar things about the girl's brown sailor fuku.

"I told you not to call me that," Mamoru said as he approached them.

"Come on, Senpai" She whined.

"Enough—Noriko," Mamoru replied curtly. "So, what are we supposed to be doing all the way out here."

"Eh? What happened to 'Kosaka-san'?" Noriko said with a crooked smile. Just another thing that Mamoru would regret.

"Whatever," Mamoru waved his hand, attempting to dismiss her question.

"Yasushi, explain it to him."

"I wasn't expecting Sanada-san to agree to come," Yasushi said, turning to Noriko. He looked visibly irritated. Though anyone would be if they were asked by her to go out to the middle of nowhere,

"Actually, I wasn't either." Noriko now had a puzzled look on her face.

"I've been having a good week," Mamoru said, shrugging his shoulders.

"And this is the perfect way to finish it?" Noriko chirped.

Mamoru decided to rebuke her presumptiveness. "It was getting too good, so I'm here to have you ruin it."

"You're always like this," She sighed.

In truth, Mamoru did not want to be so caustic, but it was hard to break the habit. It was in part influenced by their first meeting and how it set the pattern for all their subsequent interactions. Another was her similarity to Asuka. It was hard not to just fall into the same rhythm of tacitly playing along despite his dry remarks. Perhaps most of all, it was just Noriko's personality that prompted this response from him.

"This trip was actually my idea, Sanada-san," Yasushi said. Was he also just playing along? It was strange from him to be frustrated by Noriko if he had planned this.

"I'm just here to approve his occult research," Noriko said proudly. Even she did not want to be the mastermind of today's activity.

"We're going to the graveyard near the dam," Yasushi said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"—What?" That was all Mamoru could manage. Noriko's nickname for Yasushi's club was supposed to just be a pejorative. Were they seriously going to investigate the 'supernatural'?

"Rumors are floating around in the History club that ghosts have appeared recently."

"You're joking right… Is this why you said we were taking an evening walk?"

Yasushi pushed up his spectacles, seeming to signal that he was serious. "We don't take these kinds of claims lightly at the History club."

Noriko's insult for his club now seemed to be more parts truth than exaggeration. "Sure," Mamoru started before pointing at Noriko, "then why are you going along with this?"

"He's using school resources," Noriko gestured to the baskets on the front of their bicycles. There was a large torchlight sitting on top of a folded tarpaulin mat. "As a student council member, it is my duty to ensure that it is not being misused."

What an asinine excuse. Noriko clearly wanted to be involved in this. Even if she made fun of Yasushi's club with that name, she probably found the idea of an occult research club fun. At least Asuka's statement seemed to have been confirmed by what she just said. How Noriko ended up in the student council was beyond him.

"We are actually going ghost hunting." Mamoru could not believe he was uttering those words.

"Senpai, are you that dense?" Noriko said. He decided to give up on changing her speech pattern.

"Haven't you seen the distortion map in Uji this week, Sanada-san?" Yasushi said, holding up his Digivice. On it was a satellite map provided by the Izumi Corporation. There was a notable concentration of digital distortions in the southeast of Kyoto in Uji and Amagase.

"No, I didn't," Mamoru replied as he processed this information. "I haven't been home to Uji till today."

"There hasn't been a Digimon appearance in Uji yet." Yasushi explained, "Though the build-up of these distortions seems to suggest that it might come soon."

"The ghosts that people are seeing is probably linked to this," Noriko added.

"Okay, this makes more sense," Mamoru said, trying to cover up how little he had been paying attention to Digimon related activity. He had assumed that distortions were detected locally by their Digivices. It was impressive that the Izumi Corporation had access to a satellite to dedicate just to this.

"Sen—pai," Noriko said, dragging her words out, "Do you really think we are into such weird stuff?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." Mamoru shook his head and gestured for them to start walking. "So why do you need me? The two of you can probably handle this by yourselves."

"That's what I thought as well," Yasushi said, still sounding irate. Maybe it was his pride that was wounded. Though he did not seem to be the tough-guy type like maybe Nagato or Kodai.

"Hey, I didn't think he would actually agree." Noriko shrugged.

It had passed 5pm as they neared the Amagase Dam with still a bit more to go before they reached their destination. The sunlight seemed to fade quickly on cloudy days like this. Even though it was still sunset, the sky was already a dull violet. In the failing light, Mamoru could see mist start to roll in higher up the hill. The environment seemed to cooperate with their ghost hunting mission. They passed a large group of workers from the hydroelectric plant on their way up, heading home after their work shift. The three of them would likely be the only ones at Minami Cemetery on a Saturday night.

As they rounded the final bend, there was a sea of gravestones before them. They were all a dull granite grey, neatly lined up with each other. The cemetery was also a memorial park from what Mamoru remembered. Perhaps it could be a tranquil place during the day, but it seemed distinctly uninviting at night. The entire area was only sporadically lit with a few streetlamps at major intersections around the cemetery. The lights cast an eerie light blue glow over the place with their florescent bulbs.

Mamoru noticed that they had tightened their formation as they advanced into the cemetery compound. Noriko had closed the distance between them which seemed to have prompted Yasushi to follow suit. There was a strange stillness in the air, punctuated by a light gust of wind that only seemed to bring more fog rolling onto the hilltop. They reached the parking lot to find it devoid of cars.

"Wait a minute," Yasushi said. Mamoru could hear Noriko shudder as he turned around. They had been silent for some time, and the atmosphere seemed to be taking its toll on her. "Let's lock our bikes at this railing."

Noriko seemed to struggle to insert the key into her bicycle lock, her hands quivering slightly. It took her a little longer than Yasushi who did not seem to notice as he retrieved the large torch from his basket. Dusk had set in, and it was becoming difficult to see. Made only worse by the odd shadows being cast in every direction by the inconsistent lighting of the cemetery.

"Where to now?" Mamoru asked.

"My Digivice shows the distortions are concentrated on the other side of the graveyard," Yasushi said, his face illuminated by the light from his phone's screen.

The path up Amagase was winding and had taken a long detour to avoid a steep slope on the shortest route to the summit. The graveyard was built atop that slope, its far side overlooking the Uji river valley and the dam below it. To get there, they would have to walk its length.

"Alright, let's go investigate."

As they moved through the lines of tombstones, Mamoru noticed that Noriko had been noticeably silent since they arrived at their destination. He did not expect her to be so timid, but he also had to admit that the atmosphere was starting to get to him. The fog was not thick enough to totally obscure their vision, but that seemed preferable to what was happening now. Mamoru could make out faint shapes in the mist. They were definitely tombstones, but it was distorted just enough for him to question what he saw. The air had also become damp and clung to his skin as they waded through the mist.

With last light having passed, Yasushi took the lead with his torch. The beam of light seemed to cut through the fog but never hit anything in front of it. Noriko had moved in between the two boys, not wanting to be exposed at the ends of their column. Their pace had also slowed down. In part due to the fog and in part, Mamoru guessed, to them unconsciously slowing down to match Noriko.

Mamoru felt it was unnaturally quiet and decided to break the silence. It seemed acceptable since they had not seen or detected anything out of the ordinary. Hopefully, it would also put Noriko at ease. "Is everything between you Nagato okay?"

"Hmm? Takeshi?" Yasushi mused. Even without him around, Yasushi still did not address him by his last name. "It's fine, he's always been like that."

"Always?"

"I used to be from Rakusei Junior with him. But I didn't continue to their high school."

"Why not?" There was a history between them as well, beyond just DigiDestined activities—what a mess.

"I moved from Arashiyama to Uji. Rakusei was just too far away."

Noriko made a noise interrupting them. It was not one of alarm but rather more of curiosity. Mamoru's strategy appeared to be working.

"I thought you wanted to move to Uji?" Noriko asked. Her voice was still quieter than usual, but at least she was talking.

"My parent's work moved here. They gave me the option to stay with my grandparents, but I decided to just change school."

"Don't most people want to stay with their escalator school?" Mamoru asked. He found it strange someone would decide to take a high school entrance exam willingly when they could avoid it by continuing to an affiliate school.

"I guess," Yasushi was unconvincing. "I just got tired of Rakusei."

After a brief silence, Mamoru remembered the original question he had posed. "So, what does this have to do with Nagato exactly?"

"He's never said much. Probably comes from doing kendo. It also makes him aggressive when he zeroes in on things. But he'll be fine after a while."

"Is it that simple?"

"I guess Takeshi is still angry at me for leaving Rakusei." Yasushi shrugged. "It flairs up from time to time."

"Huh?" Noriko interjected. "Does that just happen sometimes?"

"I don't think he liked that I had a way to continue but still chose to leave. With Kodai-senpai's graduation last year, he probably doesn't talk much to anyone at school anymore."

"Didn't Kodai stop his involvement for his entrance exams?" Mamoru asked. This problem should have flared up much sooner if all that was holding it back was Kodai's presence.

"I think so? He cut back but never quite stopped. The LINE group was just to keep everyone updated, so most of our communication was in private. Obviously, Takeshi won't tell me any details. I only saw Kodai-senpai a few times last year, but it could have been more."

Mamoru never liked group dynamics like this. This kind of thing was precisely why he stayed out of the social politics of his high school class. Though he supposed that he was embroiled in it now. Worse, their history was far longer than just high school. If they were more socially active than him, the DigiDestined could have known each other for close to a decade.

They continued at their almost glacial pace through the cemetery. After the conversation died down, Mamoru noticed that Noriko was beginning to look a bit jumpy again.

"Should we bring out our Digimon?" It was Noriko who broke the silence.

"What would that do?" Mamoru replied.

"Just in case?" She sounded evasive. "What if we find the Digimon were looking for?"

"There is no indication that one has emerged yet." Yasushi said, "But if it makes you feel better then why not."

"What? This is just being practical." Her objection was nowhere near as strong as usual.

Before Yasushi could reply, Noriko reached for her D-4 and swiped to the Digital Space application. Pointing her Digivice outwards, there was a short burst of light as the purple and brown Lopmon appeared. Mamoru just decided to go with it and not interrogate her. Hagurumon would also enjoy being outside, even in this strange weather. Yasushi also took his cue from Noriko and Tapirmon emerged from his phone.

As they neared the end of the graveyard, Mamoru could make out the faint lights from the road below them and the Amagase Dam slightly off in the distance. The low humming of Hagurumon's gears now undercut the mist-filled silence that was present previously. It sounded calming to Mamoru, but it appeared to have no effect on Noriko. She still moved stiffly. Worse, Lopmon seemed to take after his partner, clinging to her leg using one of his long ears.

The rows of gravestones had ended, and they entered a small open area. There was a small pavilion to their left with seats and a table in it. Mamoru could not imagine that anyone would picnic or even take a break in such a morbid area. But that could be their current environment pushing him to think that way. A closer look revealed to Mamoru something that looked like a silhouette of a person.

"Is that a person?" Mamoru said instinctively.

Noriko flinched in front of him, recoiling backwards. She latched on to him in fright.

"Hey, knock it off." Mamoru was surprised by Noriko's sudden movement.

"What are you doing—" Yasushi said, turning around to see Noriko cowering in fright. He was stunned by what he saw, looking directly at Mamoru.

"I can't check if you keep doing this," Mamoru said in frustration. He fought the urge to just forcefully dislodge Noriko from his arm. Both she and Yasushi seemed to be paralyzed, though, for the latter, he had no idea what was stopping him.

All their Digivices went off, snapping the other two out of their states. Mamoru took out his own D-4 to see the convergence of multiple distortions. Whatever happened, it appeared they had just stirred a hornet's nest. Mamoru decided that it would be prudent to Digivolve immediately.

Yasushi and Noriko followed suit, and soon all their partner Digimon were glowing with a yellow light. Sorcermon and Wizardmon were mirror images of each other, only separated by their different staffs and colours. Turning back to the pavilion, he could see the moving of shadows. He had not imagined it, there was probably a Digimon there. Mamoru began to back away from the pavilion with Clockmon positioning himself in between. He bumped into something behind him, sending a shiver up his spine.

Snapping around, he saw it was Yasushi and Noriko. They had instinctively all withdrew themselves and were now back-to-back. He could also see the shadows cast by the two wizards Digimon as the floated above their huddled group, making him feel more at ease.

"Why didn't our partners sense the Digimon?" Noriko asked.

"I'm not sure," Mamoru replied. Checking his D-4, the readings show that the distortions only began to fluctuate after their partners materialized from their Digivices. They had unwittingly incited the Digimon with their own presence.

"It's strange for a Digimon to conceal themselves after they enter the real world," Yasushi said analyzing the situation. "Normally they're too disoriented from their transition to do that."

The dim lights from around the cemetery made it difficult to see anything clearly in the fog. Soft shadows were thrown in multiple directions, making it impossible to gauge depth correctly. The three of them remained squashed tightly together, their Digimon partners also unsure of what to do. Mamoru started to feel himself straining, his muscles having been tense for quite some time.

"Can Clockmon float like Hagurumon?" Yasushi asked.

"No?" Noriko responded as Mamoru attempted to work out the reason for Yasushi's question.

"So that third shadow isn't his." Yasushi's words caused Noriko to push her back even harder into the group, jostling the two boys. Looking down, Mamoru saw a third shadow cast near them.

A ghastly screech rang out from above. Mamoru heard Noriko yelp as they scattered outwards. Mamoru pivoted around on his heels as he reached Clockmon, catching a glimpse of their attacker. It looked like a tattered floating rag, the epitome of a ghost in most people's imaginations. Clockmon fired off a bolt of electricity at the spirit but missed. Another bolt of lightning flew out of the fog, narrowly missing Mamoru. On instinct he and Clockmon moved to the side, avoiding a barrage of ice crystals.

The ghostly Digimon reappeared in front of him, descending from above. Another barrage of attacks followed. The Digimon was like a phantom, fading in and out at will, avoiding all their attacks. Mamoru was able to see that their attacker had razor-sharp teeth and pitch-black eyes. It was probably a Bakemon. A dangerous opponent in these conditions since they naturally employed indirect attacks.

However, Mamoru was more worried about the fact that he had been separated from Noriko and Yasushi. Not only were they uncoordinated, but their attacks also risked hitting each other in the fog. The electrical blast from either him or Noriko would intermittently illuminate the area, giving him an idea of where they were.

"Noriko! Yasushi!" The sound of crackling electricity and shattering ice threatened to drown him out. "Follow my voice, we need to regroup."

"I can't! The Bakemon keeps attacking me." Noriko cried.

"I'm pinned as well," Yasushi said.

The Bakemon was taking full advantage of the situation. It kept them all off-balance, taking turns at attacking each one of them

"Noriko, I'll go to you then," Mamoru said as he began to move forward with Clockmon.

"I'm moving too," Yasushi said, apparently having unpinned himself.

Mamoru saw Noriko and Yasushi fire off their attacks at the same time. One of them must be firing at nothing. If they did not reorganize themselves soon, it would probably devolve into total chaos. As Mamoru moved towards the source of arcing electricity that was Wizardmon, he was stopped by the sudden sound of scraping metal. He turned around to see the Bakemon had struck Clockmon with its fang, scouring the brass exterior of its body. Clockmon attempted to counter with its hammer, but the ghost melded back into the mist before it could connect. As Mamoru attempted to advance again, he was stopped by a similar attack. His Digimon valiantly tried to fend it off but only succeeded in chasing away the attacker after they had already struck.

This was impossible. There seemed to be no end to the Bakemon's assault. As Clockmon weathered the myriad of attacks aimed at it, Mamoru wondered what Koshiro would have done. Additional power alone could not combat this. Perhaps their experience would have prevented them from getting separated in the first place. Or they would be fast enough to catch the Bakemon, though that was unlikely.

Mamoru thought back to Koshiro's air attack with Mimi. It was a flawless combination that was likely devised from battling together for a long time. He believed that he could coordinate with Noriko and Yasushi if he got the chance. It was a simple tactic to box in the Bakemon by using one of their attacks to push it into the path of another. But he only vaguely knew where the other two were, much less being able to see or adequately communicate with them. If they could make a simultaneous attack like what Togemon and Kabuterimon did, it would be a knockout blow.

Then it hit Mamoru. The reason the combination was possible was not just because Koshiro and Mimi were more experienced. Togemon could attack from above because it had the means to slow its fall. If it were Clockmon or Leomon in her place, they would have plummeted to earth too fast for any meaningful attack. The problem facing the three of them was not necessarily a lack of power. There was only one enemy. They were not fighting smart. He opened Yuki's database to see what the other Digimon could do.

"Noriko! Can you use Meteor Squall?"

"Yeah?" She said uncertainly. "Why? It's weaker than Lightning Squall."

"Aim it in the air—" Mamoru was cut off by another attack aimed at Clockmon.

A red fireball rocketed into the sky, illuminating the space around them. Noriko had got the idea. The flare was not as bright as Mamoru had hoped for, but it was good enough. He could now see the other two and their partners through the fog. More importantly, he could see the Bakemon making another charge at them. Clockmon took the initiative and levelled his blaster arm at it, letting loose a lance of lightning. The Bakemon quivered violently from the intensity of the electrical current. Falling out of the air, it landed behind a row of tombstones.

Mamoru and Yasushi quickly moved towards Noriko as the meteor reached its parabola and began to dim. Noriko grabbed on to Mamoru as soon as he was within reach. Before he could say anything about this, a shout came from Yasushi. Sorcermon had managed to conjure his ice shield in time. The Bakemon was only inches away from the Yasushi and his partner, its gigantic teeth lodged into the crystal, causing fracture lines. The Digimon had recovered rapidly.

They were too close together to risk firing one of their attacks. Clockmon moved in to attempt to physically dislodge the Bakemon. Wizardmon sent another fireball into the sky to keep visibility. It did not seem necessary as Yasushi was clearly visible, even after the previous meteor had burnt out. There was almost no fog around him.

"Yasushi, the fog," Mamoru said, still finalizing his observations.

"I noticed it too," Yasushi replied.

The Bakemon dislodged itself and fled as Clockmon raised its hammer to strike it. The three of them were now huddled together again, their Digimon partners forming a ring perimeter around them. As Mamoru opened his mouth to speak, but Yasushi preempted it, nodding and turning to face his partner.

"Sorcermon, draw in the water from the air for your Drowning Aquarius."

The mist was drawn to Sorcermon's staff as a ball of water formed on its tip. Yasushi had also realized that Sorcermon unconsciously used the water vapour in the air to create his ice shield. It meant that the Digimon could also intentionally remove the moisture from the air. The ball of water began to spin rapidly as the mist that was sucked towards it began to thin. Even if the Digimon's abilities did interact with the real world, they still seemed to defy physics. Water was ordinarily incompressible, but it seemed that no matter how much vapour was drawn from the air, the orb of water never increased in volume.

Only scattered wisps of fog remained, exposing the Bakemon. Socermon immediately attacked, firing the condensed water like a bullet. Mamoru had expected the Drowning Aquarius to be a jet of water, like what he saw at Gion. If the shape and intensity of the attack could be altered, it could have even more uses in the future. The sphere slammed into the Bakemon, creating a deluge of water as it rapidly expanded. Sorcermon followed this up with a barrage of ice shards. Instead of striking the Bakemon directly, it froze the water around it as it impacted, trapping the ghost in place.

Mamoru felt relieved at the sight of the entrapped Digimon. He took out his D-4 and began to approach the ice formation, ready to open a Digital Gate. Clockmon followed steadily behind him in case anything went wrong. The Bakemon appeared to be pixelated in the ice. It was a sure sign of what Koshiro called a forced evolution virus. He had not given much more information since that day; still researching its origin and effects before he made any conclusions or even gave it a formal name. Whatever it was, it was better to send it back to the Digital World before anything worse happened.

Mamoru froze as he saw a shadow from the corner of his eye. Clockmon had sensed it as well, turning to face the threat. Raising his blaster, Clockmon fired off a preemptive shot into the darkness. A white blur came surging out, swiftly struck down by his Machine Thunder attack. There was a second Bakemon?

Mamoru changed direction, moving to where the first Bakemon Clockmon had hit went down. It was face-first on the ground, having knocked over some flower vases. Sacrilegious.

"How many distortions have there been?"

"I'm not sure?" Yasushi said, taking out his D-4 to confirm.

"At least one a day whenever I checked." Noriko interrupted. She had regained her vigour. Perhaps the human supernatural was not her strong suit, but Digimon were.

At least one distortion a day meant that there could be half a dozen or more Bakemon. The three of them reached that conclusion at the same time, hurriedly returning to their formation. A trio of ghost emerged from the woods where Clockmon had dispatched their most recent foe. The two wizard Digimon took to the air while Clockmon placed himself in their path. The Bakemon seemed to be reluctant to engage Clockmon and gained altitude, intending to go over him.

The magicians fired off their attacks sending lightning and ice at the formation scattering the ghost. The ensuing fight reminded Mamoru of the movie Crimson Pig he had seen as a child. The Bakemon did loops and rolls in the air, avoiding the attacks of the two wizards as they tried to keep up with their more agile opponents. Clockmon was tracking one of the Bakemon with his blaster but could not find an opening admits the frantic action above.

Yasushi and Noriko were frustrated that they were making no progress. If they did not act quickly, the ice would thaw releasing another Bakemon into the fray. The ghosts were able to dodge even the rapid lightning strikes from Wizardmon. Mamoru decided to take charge.

"Yasushi: use your crystal barrage to cut off their escape. Noriko: once they slow down, hit them with lightning." The two of them nodded, affirming Mamoru's plan.

Socrcermon abruptly halted mid-flight and raised his staff. Mamoru could see ice starting to form at its tip as the Digimon concentrated. Releasing a wide barrage of ice crystals, it looked as if it were hailing sideways. Although much less potent than a concentrated crystal barrage, it forced the Bakemon to bunch up to avoid any damage. Wizardmon and Clockmon seized the opportunity, firing their electrical attacks.

As the Bakemon fell towards the ground, Mamoru heard the shattering of ice. Turning back to the infected Digimon, they saw it had transformed. It was draped in a red cloak, carrying a brilliant golden scythe with a ball and chain on its end. Noriko took out her Digivice to scan it. The computerized voice from her phone announced that it was a Phantomon, an ultimate level Digimon.

"The three of us can take him," Noriko said confidently. While in theory, that could be true, Mamoru was unsure of what the Phantomon's abilities were.

The three partner Digimon launched their attacks simultaneously. An overwhelming early strike would be decisive. The eyeball on the Phantomon's neck began to glow before light appeared to bend around it. As the attacks converged, it seemed to strike nothing but pitch-black space. This was unlike what the Bakemon had been doing. They had been merely vanishing into the mist, taking advantage of their white colour. The Phantomon had disappeared entirely into empty space.

Mamoru felt a familiar sensation as the hair on his arms started to stand. The Phantomon seemed to emerge from pure darkness, readying its scythe to strike at their Digimon. Wizardmon attempted to use its magic to cloak itself. Mamoru saw the purple magician being to fade from view before abruptly contorting in pain. They were drawing on the same powers, and the Phantomon was apparently the master, stopping Wizardmon from turning invisible. What he felt was similar to the sensation he got when Clockmon used Chronobreaker.

The Phantomon readied its scythe to deliver a severe blow. Yasushi cried out, and Sorcermon responded, rushing in between the two and summoning his crystal shield. The scythe blow fell, cleaving the shield easily as if it were nothing more than thin plastic. Sorcermon slammed into the ground, Phantomon's blade having connected with him.

Clockmon seized the opportunity and leapt into the air, grappling onto the reaper Digimon. As they both sank to the ground, Wizardmon began collecting electrical energy in his staff. Before the attack could be delivered, Mamoru saw the Digimon fade away again. It seemed to slip right through Clockmon's grasp as if it had turned into the air itself. This Digimon was not just manipulating light to become invisible. It had to be controlling space-time to physically slip through Clockmon's bind. Mamoru hoped that he could still Digivolve to ultimate level.

As he held out his Digivice, he saw the lining on the back of his casing turn purple. Clockmon was covered in brilliant yellow light as he changed into a more humanoid shape. Two golden wings extend from his back, and a hood began to form around its head, concealing all his features except for two golden eyes. In his hand were two orbs that seemed to hold the cosmos itself in them, utterly dark but swirling with small points of distorted light. As Mamoru's partner began to levitate, a book materialized underneath him. As it opened, Mamoru saw an indecipherable script written on its pages. Wisemon was also a space-time Digimon, he hoped that it would be enough to match the phantom before them.

Noriko was in awe as Wisemon fired both electricity and a beam of light from the two orbs in his hand. The Phantomon narrowly avoided the twin blast and attempted to disappear again. Mamoru knew they had to prevent it from escaping now that it knew it had lost the advantage.

"Wisemon, Pandora Dialogue."

The book underneath Wisemon rose and turned to face the fading Phantomon. Wisemon's wings extended as the words on the page began to glow red. The text leapt from the pages, streaming rapidly towards the Phantomon. The sentences ensnared it before it could vanish, dragging it back into standard space and towards Wisemon. Mamoru's head began to pound as he tried to advance towards the captured Digimon. It must be the strain of ultimate level Digivolution on him. Noriko ran past him with her Digivice, dispatching the Phantomon.

Mamoru sat on the ground with a splitting headache. He could not imagine Kodai having to put up with this and take a direct attack from a Digimon. How had he not immediately passed out? Yasushi was nursing the injured Tapirmon while Noriko had gone around and sent the Bakemon back to their world. Wisemon devolved back to Hagurumon and was now hovering above Mamoru, seemingly concerned.

"I'm fine buddy. You did great." Mamoru said, smiling weakly at his partner. There was an increase in the speed of Hagurumon's gears signalling his happiness. But it was noticeably softer than usual. He must be tired too.

"I didn't know you're ultimate Digivolution was an angel-type Digimon," Yasushi said as he walked up to him. "That is pretty rare."

"Despite the wings, Wisemon is not an angel Digimon." It was Noriko who answered for him. Mamoru did not have the energy to stop her or take over with the dull ache in his head. "He's actually a wizard type Digimon like ours."

"Well, whatever he is, I'm glad you're here Mamoru," Yasushi said as he held out his hand to help him up. Mamoru found his tone slightly odd. As if Yasushi was only accepting of his presence now that it proved necessary. He decided not to bring it up. The only thing he could think of was going home to sleep.

The cemetery seemed much less unsettling without the fog. Knowing that there were no more dangerous Digimon around made the still autumn night almost feel tranquil. Looking upwards, the sky was finally clear enough for Mamoru to see the stars. Maybe this was what the cemetery ordinarily felt like.

Before leaving, Noriko made a point to stop by the graves disturbed by the Bakemon. They returned the vases and flowers to their proper positions before clasping their hands together to pay their respects. While it was a courteous gesture, it could not help but feel superstitious with all the effort Noriko put into it.

The descended from Amagase mainly in silence. Mamoru tried to keep his distance from them both, wanting some space to relax. However, Noriko remained close by which also drew Yasushi in. He wished they would just let him be alone for a bit now. After all, were they not prepared to come up here by themselves if Mamoru had said no?


	6. Under Amber Skies

**Chapter 6: Under Amber Skies**

To Mamoru, the Kyoto DigiDestined seemed to have become something of an after-school club. They had all the trappings of one. There was an executive committee: the university students; there were meetings to attend, and there were activities to do. The battling with dangerous monsters was the only different part. Yet, it could be said that this was normal for lack of a better term.

As November rolled around, Mamoru started to prepare for his mid-semester assessments. Yasushi and Nagato's presence were also noticeably absent from the chat group and Digimon appearances. As third-years, they were busy studying for their university entrance exams. This had forced Mamoru to pick up the slack, much to his chagrin. Though he found it hard to complain since the other university students were also faced with the same situation. Even his attempt to vent to Asuka had been thwarted when she asked about how Reina was faring.

Digimon appearances had seemed to plateau, preventing things from going out of control. Unlike a regular school club, there was no stopping their activities just because they all had exams. Those who could be active found themselves travelling more widely around Kyoto, going as far as Nishikyo. At first, Mamoru did not mind, but it became frustrating as he responded to more trivial appearances. Often it there was only a single rookie level Digimon that was present, easily handled by any one of them. Though there were still more explosive situations where either Kodai, him or even Nagato were required to prevent it going out of control.

As the group seemed to settle into a routine, Koshiro had contacted them about the progress of his virus research. All he had determined was that its origin was from the Digital World and that it was only transferable there. Apparently, the virus could not make the leap from any Digimon in the real world since it was a digital construct. There was simply no medium for it to be transmitted by. Mamoru wondered if that meant it was possible to inject the virus into a Digimon in the real world. Although that would take either specialized equipment or a Digimon evolving to specifically do that, both unlikely to exist.

Despite their increasingly hectic schedule, the three university students in the Kyoto group found more time to meet. Mamoru had to admit, it was a nice change of pace from his first semester where he would even cancel on Asuka some weeks. He just wished that his new social life did not have to come at the cost of additional obligations. Mamoru and Reina had convinced Kodai to meet them at Demachi Masugata shopping street near Yoshida, planning to go to a café Reina liked. Mamoru had seen it a few times on his way to his favour Yakitori place at the end of the street. It could be best described as quaint and quirky. The café doubled as a record store and played old music at the coffee bar. Reina frequently studied there, even letting the owner know about Salamon. What really sold Kodai was the offer to eat dinner at the Udon shop there, which he had been craving all week.

Reina and Mamoru walked west on Imadegawa Road towards the shopping street. Their seminars had ended at only 3pm, but it looked like it was much later in the day. The autumn sun always seemed to set the sky ablaze. Asuka wanted to tag along but was finally dissuaded by Reina who told her that they were going to discuss Digimon. He hoped that was just a lie. They were already a dominant enough feature in their lives.

As they reached the Kamo River, Reina checked the time on her D-4.

"Hey Mamoru, we're still running early."

"You want to make a detour somewhere?"

"When was the last time you walked on the turtle steppingstones?"

They were about to cross the Ohashi Bridge when Reina had stopped. Just upstream of the bridge was a line of stones that spanned the length of the small river. It was a popular spot for people to sightsee, but Mamoru had never thought of it as anything more than a charming, less efficient way to get across.

"Never" he replied

"Not even when you were a child?" Reina had a bemused look on her face as she leaned over the bridge railing. The sun was striking her hair at just the right angle, giving it a glossy shine.

"I am a rather boring person."

"Why don't we cross there? Since we have time." She gave him a gentle smile.

"Why not?" Mamoru said with a shrug.

They descended to the riverbank and stood in front of the stones. Reina took the lead and hopped onto the first one. Keeping her stride, she continued to skip across them until she reached the mid-point. Her grey dress swayed with the wind as she moved over the water. He followed after her, though try as he might, Mamoru was much clumsier in comparison. Reina must have crossed these stones frequently for her to move with such confidence. Mamoru's approach was much more cautious, ensuring that he was surefooted.

"Mamoru! You're missing the point of this." Perhaps he was, but he did not want to fall into the river now that the weather had turned brisk.

Mamoru plodded across the stones, gradually reaching the halfway point. Reina was already at the other bank. He had almost slipped on one of the earlier stones. It was an embarrassment since they were large enough for a person to comfortably stand on. He resolved that falling in would be worse than being slow.

Reina seemed to have the opposite idea and hopped back onto the stones, heading back to Mamoru. She moved quickly with a light bounce in her step from stone to stone. As they were about to converge, Mamoru hesitated. He stopped abruptly to give Reina room to slow down. Reina responded in kind, throwing herself off balance as she suddenly arrested her momentum.

Her arms flailed wildly as she tried to regain her stability. Reina looked like she would be successful, but her balancing act seemed to go on far longer than it seemed possible. Mamoru decided to step in and attempted to grab her arm. He missed, latching on to her lavender cardigan instead. The woolly material stretched as he tugged on it but eventually became taut, holding her in place. They briefly froze in place; Mamoru standing on two different stones, bent forward, while Reina was leaning back, only kept from falling over by his hand. They remained silent as they recovered and crossed to the western riverbank.

"You stretched out my favourite cardigan," Reina said. Mamoru had expected more irritation or upset in her voice. Her tone was rather dispassionate as if she were only mildly perturbed by an observation she was making.

Mamoru was unsure how to respond and said the first thing that came to his mind. "I've only ever seen you in that cardigan."

Reina looked at Mamoru, seemingly unsure of what to say as well. Her blank expression changed to a faint smile as she turned away, continuing to their destination.

The shopping street looked more like a market with various vendors having their produce out along the walkway. The two of them strolled along the covered street in silence, admiring the liveliness of their surroundings. As they reached the centre of the street, Mamoru looked up to see a giant model of a fish, hanging from the ceiling. It had a foil coating that sparkled in the autumn sunlight streaming in from the skylights. Mamoru heard their D-4s buzz as he admired the vibrant coloured flags that were draped between the shop fronts. He assumed that it was just another update from the group since they had both received the message.

Mamoru looked over to Reina to see her furiously typing on her phone. "Is something wrong?"

Reina did not respond, continuing to look at her D-4. He checked his own Digivice to see a message from Kodai. It was sent to the university LINE group, saying that he had to cancel dinner. Reina was furious, sending multiple messages asking for an explanation. Kodai was not even bothering to sidestep the questions, outright ignoring them. He just kept insisting that Reina and Mamoru carry on with dinner.

"Reina, if he's not coming there isn't much we can do," Mamoru said. He did not want to type in the chat and overtly take a side. If Kodai was not coming, he must have his reasons.

"I know," she mumbled as her typing continued. "I just feel so… angry."

Mamoru searched for what to say to Reina who seemed to also be lost for words. Kodai's sudden cancellation was undoubtedly disappointing, even irritating since they had been talking about this dinner for the last few days. Though he wondered what would compel him not to just explain himself. It was probably something where a passing statement would not suffice.

"Do you want to sit down?" Mamoru said, gesturing to her favourite café. He was still unsure of what to say, but it could not hurt to have some coffee.

As they walked up the staircase to the second-floor café, Mamoru could hear a Sakamoto Kyu song playing. It was an old one from the 1960s. Why its name in English was 'Sukiyaki' was beyond him. Most of the floor space was taken up by shelves of old vinyl records. Opposite the door was a long wooden bar, behind which the owner of the café was standing. The bespectacled, grey-haired man greeted them as they took their seats at the counter.

"You were looking forward to this," Mamoru said, breaking the silence that had lingered since their arrival. Despite Reina remaining reticent when they were asked for their orders, a latte had appeared with Mamoru's black coffee. She really was a regular here.

As Reina turned to respond to him, Mamoru could see that her ears were flushed. Though it was hard to discern what that exactly meant. "Yes, but it's not that." She clasped the hem of her skirt as she spoke.

"Then what is it?" Their romp across the Kamo River seemed to have indicated she was elated.

Reina held up her D-4, showing her private LINE chat with Nagato. She had been texting him simultaneously, which explained her fervour. Mamoru felt it was a little irresponsible for her to be badgering their junior who was busy preparing for exams. Reading through the text, it seemed that Nagato was just as reckless about his studies. Kodai was hiding something. Reina's intuition had been far better at discerning what it was compared to his. It seemed apparent in hindsight that he should have checked his Digivice first.

Mamoru checked his phone to confirm that there was a Digimon appearance at Narabigaoka. Kodai was not irresponsible enough to attempt to handle the appearance by himself and had called Nagato, telling him to keep it quiet. An unforeseen limitation of the warning system had let this slip by undetected. Koshiro had only set up his alerts to go out to people within a certain radius of a Digimon's appearance. It only pinged everyone when there was a lack of people nearby. Reina and Mamoru had been just outside this three-kilometre radius.

"Why didn't he just call us?" Mamoru said, thinking out loud. Nagato was probably closer, but they were free. Their exams were all important, but Nagato's was critical in determining his future. Mamoru and Reina just risked getting a lower grade for one of their courses.

"I don't know," she said bitterly.

Mamoru felt that they both had tacitly reached the same conclusion. If he were correct, it would be difficult for Reina to verbalize it first; so, he took the lead. "Kodai doesn't want you to fight, does he."

Reina said nothing, staring at the foam on her latte. Mamoru internally debated what to do. To arbitrarily leave her out was harsh, even though he had a good reason. It was clear by this point that Reina was willing to fight as a last resort. Though that did not make it any more pleasant. What last resort meant was also becoming increasingly stretched. Fighting was almost the only way a Digimon appearance panned out.

Most disoriented Digimon were aggressive as a means of self-defence. However, they all had their suspicions that the appearance of the virus was ratcheting up this aggression to the point where there was no other alternative. In effect, responding to a Digimon appearance was to commit to violence. While it was necessary that someone fight, that someone need not be Reina. Kodai knew this and prioritized keeping her from this situation. It was in many ways just choosing the lesser of two evils. Treating Reina like a liability or not a full member of their team by making this kind of decision was painful. Kodai must have concluded that it would be less pain than placing her in a position where she had to fight.

Mamoru felt like his professors would describe this as an insoluble problem. There was an imperative for Reina to be involved, yet there was also one for her to avoid fighting. Both were internal to her; the sense of responsibility as a DigiDestined, and her aversion to violence.

"It's not easy is it," Mamoru said. It was a platitude, but one he sincerely meant.

She clutched her cup of coffee before finally looking at Mamoru. "If Kodai tried to explain himself, we would still be arguing now. Wouldn't we?"

"I think we would be arguing in person if that happened."

"Do you think that would make him change his mind?" Reina said, looking directly at him. Her eyes were red, not with tears but in frustration.

"You know how adamant he is. He decided that this was for the best."

"Should I be upset that he didn't ask me?" She did not say this in anger, but at the same time, it lacked the uncertainty of a question.

"It is not unreasonable," Mamoru said, trying to be diplomatic.

"We are too old for this, aren't we" Reina sighed. Mamoru wanted to concur based on his rationality, but he knew that it was completely natural to feel this way.

"We just think we're too old. I guess it's a sign that we know enough to be sensible but that it doesn't change the way we feel."

"I know it's my fault," Reina's lower lip quivered as she made that statement. "but it's not that simple."

"You don't have to justify it," Mamoru said, trying to intercept her. He feared what would happen if she had to explain herself. There was a long pause between them before Mamoru continued. "You know, we're not at that age anymore where we can't imagine why someone would be unwilling to fighting. Like its, some hang-up or barrier to be overcome. Anyone who still can't see why someone would be averse to it is either deluded or stunted."

"We have a good reason to fight though," They had oddly switched sides, being each other's devil's advocate.

"We do, there is no denying that." Mamoru did not want to be patronizing by pretending that some fancy thinking could turn this into a non-issue. "but it is also self-evident why someone would be against violence."

"It is necessary." Reina now had a stoic expression, serious about her point yet reluctant to make it.

"I am sure you've also realized that it does not make it any easier. Perhaps it makes it rationally simple to justify, but not emotionally. I think sometimes we become unconscious to the fact that we are sending out partners into battle. They are the ones that inflict and receive pain. They are almost like a part of us, but it is still hard to send someone else to fight for you."

"I still find it strange," While Mamoru had his hands clasped together on the table, Reina was continually doing something. She had started to twirl the end of her hair now. "Digimon are meant to fight. It's obvious to everyone. But why does it still seem wrong."

"It's like animal fights, their living things. Though our partners have one important difference; they choose to do it." Mamoru felt like a sophist trying to employ his studies in this way, but he knew it also did not mean he was wrong.

"Do they? Sometimes I wonder if they chose us or if it was just chance." Reina was now gazing at the ceiling. Mamoru wondered how her eyes could handle that in such a well-lit room.

He attempted to anticipate her next point with his own. "They've never said no to fighting, but I know they can. I think that says something. Whether they are just extensions of ourselves, pets, or symbiotic life is something I don't think we can ever answer fully."

"I don't just mean that. Do you ever wonder if your Digimon would be happier with another partner?"

Mamoru felt that question make an incision right in his heart. He was unsure of what Reina's end conclusion was with that statement. His real answer ran the risk of being unhelpful. Though he was uncertain of what else he should do since there seemed to be no apparent direction to steer this to. Perhaps he should just be forthcoming.

"I have, Hagurumon wants to be very involved. I just can't bring myself to do that."

Reina gave him the same gentle smile she had earlier on the Kamo River. "I feel like Salamon is deciding to fight because of me. It's hard to believe that she even has a combative nature. Strange how they can be so like us but so different. And so consistent."

"I wonder if Kodai and Nagato's partners are the happiest since they are always involved in the fighting." Mamoru internally flinched after he accidentally brought up Kodai, but it was too late now.

"Their partners take after them." Reina mused.

"Don't all our partners take after us? Or maybe vice-versa?"

"You said Hagurumon wanted to be involved. Isn't that the direct opposite to yourself?"

"I meant he's pretty curious about everything. Reminds me of when I was younger." Saying that made him feel old, though it was true.

Reina had brought up a good point, their partners did reflect them. It was a logical conclusion since they Digivolved using their potential and traits. Mamoru wondered why he had not thought of that earlier. Maybe the differences between him and Hagurumon were not because his Digimon had a separate nature. Hagurumon could just be reflecting another part of himself. Human's did have prominent traits, but they were rarely dominating to the point of extinguishing everything else.

"What are you thinking about?" Reina said as she stirred her half-empty coffee. Mamoru realized he must have been silent for quite some time.

"Nothing," He replied on reflex. It would take too long to go through his thoughts even if he wanted to. "Is it that obvious?"

"You have a thinking face." Reina chuckled at her own words.

"About Kodai," Mamoru said, feeling it was a good time to settle that topic. "I know he's callous now, but he's taking the best path he can see. I don't know if its right, but there doesn't seem to be one."

Reina pondered this for a while before giving her reply. "What would you have done?"

Another difficult question. Mamoru could feel sweat form of his brow. Though he supposed since being honest worked the first time it should work again. "It's hard to say, but I would have let you come." Reina's face lit up at the sound of his words. "Though I would not have let you fight."

"Hmm," her smile had faded, but it did not seem to be replaced by anything overtly negative.

Mamoru was somewhat panicked and decided to backtrack a bit on his statement. "I don't know if that is worse. Being present but not being able to do anything. But I would probably have just Digivolved to ultimate level and settled it immediately on my own. It's much easier said than done, but I guess that is my attempt to just avoid the problem."

Mamoru was anxious for her response. It was not about saying the right things but being honest in the right way.

"You're more considerate than Kodai," She said softly. It was non-committal yet felt clear at the same time.

"Maybe he's just more decisive. I'm just a lot of talk." Mamoru did think that Kodai was brash, even reckless at times. Despite that, he was also more responsible than he was.

"You tell us what you're thinking."

Mamoru felt ashamed when Reina made that conclusion. He had yet to tell them about his intent to slowly withdraw from the group. Though it seemed to not be materializing, Mamoru knew that he would eventually have to make a choice. It felt uncomfortable to hear praise that he was committed when in his heart, he was not. It was getting to the point where he would rather have them be angry at him for leaving. At least that would be true.

"You're doing it again," Reina said, giggling a little.

"Sorry, I guess it's a bad habit. I think the other student council members said something similar about me during their meetings."

"I wish I could have been at those meetings. Must have been entertaining to watch you come up with what you want to say."

"Nah," Mamoru said, waving his hand in dismissal. "It's mostly boring debates. The Literature club sounded way more exciting with all the shouting."

"You should have seen Noriko," Reina said, laughing at her memory. "Though she told me she misses that now."

"Did they stop the debates when you graduated?"

"No, I am pretty sure they continued. What you said about the student council makes sense though. Noriko must be bored there."

"Why did Noriko join the student council?" Mamoru's interest had been piqued.

"I don't really know," Reina turned away as she started to twirl her hair again. "She's just the type that seems to get involved in everything; you know?"

Mamoru did not know. If Asuka was his closest point of comparison, the only reason she took a leadership role in the concert band was that there was no one else that wanted to or seemed capable of it. Well, they were not the same person so who really knew but Noriko. Asuka only ever got involved in things if she found it socially entertaining. A polite way of saying gossip or drama was afoot.

They started to finish their coffee as a video came in over LINE. It was sent to the main group from Kodai. Mamoru hesitantly opened it to see shaky footage of Leomon and Musyamon in a swordfight with what appeared to be a humanoid bird Digimon with two swords. There was an immediately a message from Yuki saying that it was a Karatenmon, and most notably that it was an ultimate level Digimon. The two of them really had grown stronger, being able to hold their own at champion level like Koshiro and Mimi. Though they were not clearly winning, they seemed to be enjoying themselves based on how excited the two of them sounded in the video. Mamoru turned to Reina to see her watching the video as well on her own Digivice. Her facial expression did not tell him much.

Despite his hesitance, he decided to speak. "Reina? Are you okay?" He did not know how to be more specific since she could be feeling a myriad of things.

She turned to him with a bemused look, the same one she had at the Kamo River. Mamoru could understand it a little better now. It seemed like a combination of wanting to laugh and being concerned. No wonder she looked so strange with that face. It was as if Reina was trying to suppress her more carefree side and maintain her polite, polished exterior.

"I guess it makes you feel better that they're having fun? Somehow?" Mamoru said, wanting to laugh as well the longer he looked at her.

She gave him a broad smile showing her teeth. "I guess?" Her expression changed to a more sombre look. Despite keeping a faint smile, her eyes looked as if they could wilt.

"I'm glad they are doing okay too," Mamoru said. He concluded that Reina was upset not because she was left out or because it stripped her for responsibilities she wanted. She was upset that she could not be there for them in case they needed her. Ultimately, her desire to ensure everyone's safety outweighed the pain of having to fight.

"Shall we go? I think I'll head home for dinner." Reina said as she stood up. It did not give Mamoru much choice.

The café owner waved them goodbye as they descended from the second floor. They began walking south from Demachi Matsugata on Kawaramachi road. Mamoru was not sure where exactly they were going, but he did not mind. He had cleared his evening for their meeting, so there was nothing he needed to attend to. In fact, he was still riding high on the fact that this edition of the student journal he published in had glowing reviews.

There were scattered groups of clouds in the sky, turned scarlet by a setting sun. They looked like rows in a crop field to him. He wondered what the Kyoto temples looked like in this weather as they continued south, parallel to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Neither Reina nor he spoke much, but Mamoru felt at ease since he knew Reina was not the very talkative type. Mamoru was about to turn east onto Kojin-Bashi Bridge to return to his dorm when Reina stopped him.

"Actually, do you still want to grab dinner? My mom messaged. She didn't cook any dinner for me."

Mamoru hesitated, they had been walking for a while without a plan, and he had started thinking of the work he could get done tonight. He looked around and saw there were a few eateries. The Ramen shop and French restaurant next to each other reminded him of the night at Gion. As his gaze turned to a place serving Yakiniku, Mamoru was about to agree when his phone buzzed.

He saw Reina had also received the message as he checked his Digivice. Hopefully, it was good news from Kodai that would put her more at ease. The text was unexpectedly from Koshiro. Two DigiDestined from Tokyo had just arrived as he was hoping that someone was free to meet them and show them around. He told them they were headed to the Kiyomizu-dera temple and that he would greatly appreciate anyone who could meet them. After the fight at Gion, they had asked Koshiro if anyone more experienced was free to teach them. Perhaps the two of them that had just arrived were here to do that. It did not seem like Koshiro to ask them for a mundane favour like this.

A flurry of replies came in from everyone else. Kodai and Nagato were about to finish up at Narabigaoka. They were on the other side of the city, and Mamoru had no doubt that they were tired. Noriko was apparently stuck in a student council meeting at school. Immediately after, Yasushi responded that he was not free, though not giving any reason. That left Yuki and Natsuki. Mamoru assumed that Yuki would never volunteer for this and that Natsuki would not go without her.

"I guess its just us," Mamoru said. "We can grab dinner afterwards?"

After sending a confirmation message to the group, they began walking to the nearest bus stop.

The route took them down Kawaramachi road towards downtown Kyoto before cutting east on Gojo road towards Gion. The temple was located at the top of Sanneizaka hill which Mamoru imagined must be radiant in this light. As they walked along Matsubara street in the heart of the shopping district, he noticed that a patch of the stone pavement appeared much newer. Looking around, he realized that this was where Leomon had knocked out that Igamon and sent it smashing through the ground. It felt strange to look at the scars of their battles. A stark remaindered that their battles had real effects if they were not careful.

Ascending the gentle hill, they reached the temple gardens. The foliage of all the trees were in their fall colours, a sea of red and gold. Despite living in Kyoto, Mamoru never frequented any of the temples which he saw as mainly tourist attractions. He had been missing out. Turning to Reina, she looked equally in awe at the amber trees and sky. They quietly admired the beauty of the scenery as they walked towards the main temple.

The distinguishing feature of Kiyomizu Dera was its Kabuki stage. It was a wooden veranda that was built extending out of the main structure, kept supported by a lattice of wooden supports in the hillside. Mamoru looked up to see the red maples growing on the slope contrasted by the dark wood of the temple building. The message Koshiro had sent said the two Tokyo DigiDestined would meet them up there.

"Let's make a small detour," Reina said as they reached the long staircase that led to the temple. She must be in a good mood again.

"Where?"

"Otowa Waterfall, I haven't drunk from it this year."

The waterfall was split into three streams by the shrine that had been built in front of it. Each stream held a different blessing: longevity, academic success, or fruitful love life. Mamoru wondered if anyone would be audacious enough to drink from all three, sacrilegious as it probably was. As they walked toward the shrine, Mamoru noticed that there were almost no other visitors despite it being the peak of the fall season. The Digimon appearance in Gion must have really hurt tourism. He could be concerned about the economic impacts more Digimon would have, but Mamoru dismissed it as more of Kodai's problem with his public policy studies. At least there was the small benefit of having plenty of space when visiting the temple.

"Which stream are you going to drink from?" Reina asked.

"That's a good question," Mamoru replied, buying himself time to think. "We're too young to be asking for a life extension. So, I suppose I'll drink for academic success." Though that blessing seemed distinctly stupid to Mamoru. Why would he ask for divine intervention for something he could change with his own work?

"Hmm, what do you think everyone else would do?"

"We're all students, so I think the same as me?"

"Maybe Kodai and Nagato need that," Reina laughed, "but don't you think everyone else is doing fairly well?"

"Can't hurt to have insurance," Mamoru shrugged. "Even if it's just psychological."

"I think Noriko would drink for success at love. Maybe Yasushi too, but I am not sure yet." Reina smiled at her statement. "I think you should too. Since that is something you can't really control."

Mamoru raised one of his eyebrows in scepticism. "Is that the reasoning for your own plan?"

"I guess it is. So, are you going to do it?"

Mamoru did not commit to an answer as they queued for the hishaku drinking ladle. There were only two people ahead of them when they got there. They were clearly a couple, holding hands as they walked toward underneath the shrine. He decided to see what stream they drank from as a solution to Reina's question.

Both of them appeared to be around Mamoru's age. The boy's hair was an unusual straw colour that did not appear to be dyed. Though his features were distinctly Japanese. Mamoru concluded that one of his grandparents must be of European descent for him to have naturally blond hair. The girl had a similar short hairstyle as Noriko, but with much lighter brown hair. The only thing that stood out to Mamoru was the pastel pink scarf she wore.

As expected, they both drank from the stream for a blessing in their love lives. Those from the looks of it, Mamoru did not think they needed any help. Reina nudged him forward as it was their turn. It seemed that his decision was made.

The experience was distinctly underwhelming to Mamoru, though he was not sure what exactly he was expecting. The spring water was refreshing, but he felt nothing different. Not even a hint of a placebo effect. On the other hand, Reina seemed to have maintained her good mood. It made him wonder why they had gone through all this trouble thinking about what to do for a drink of water.

When they finally reached the stage of Kiyomizu-dera, the view was glorious. Before them were the hills of east Kyoto, canopies a vibrant red.

"It's good, but I think I still like the view from Daikichiyama more," Mamoru said.

Reina tiled her head to one side in thought. "I'm not so sure, but Daikichiyama is special. There is nothing like being in Uji."

Once they had taken in the view, they began to look around for the two DigiDestined they were supposed to meet. Mamoru realized they forgot to ask Koshiro for the LINE contacts earlier and were waiting for him to send it to them. As he was typing on his phone, the couple from earlier approached him and Reina. Before he could say anything, they took out their smartphones. Mamoru thought they were asking him to help them snap a picture until he saw they were the same model as his. The boy's phone had a dark green case, while the girl's had a light pink one that matched her scarf.


	7. Golden Wings Over Kyoto

**Chapter 7: Golden Wings Over Kyoto**

All Mamoru could do was stare at them, desperately trying to recall their names from a message he had not read thoroughly. He wanted to look down to check his phone but felt too embarrassed to do that. Reina was a few meters behind him, searching in the other direction. She was still unaware that they had found who they were looking for. The couple seemed to be equally hesitant, shuffling their feet slightly as they searched for what to say. They were both continued to smile at him. While Mamoru could tell they were genuine, it did not make things any less awkward. He could see the girl's grip tighten, squashing the boy's hand slightly as this went on. Koshiro must have been too busy to tell them who was coming.

"You must be Takaishi-san and Yagami-san," Reina said doing a slight bow. Mamoru audibly sighed as she stepped forward to helm the conversation.

"Thank you for coming to meet us." The girl said before letting out a slight giggle. "Please just call us Takeru and Hikari. I think only my older brother gets called Yagami-san nowadays."

"Alright, Hikari-chan?" Reina said, testing the water. While Koshiro and Mimi were noticeably older than them, this couple appeared to be close to or at their age. It seemed a little strange to address them as -san if they were using their first names.

"Of course," Hikari said with a broad smile.

"I'm Hoshino Reina, and this is Sanada Mamoru," Mamoru did a slight bow at the mention of his name. "Please use our first names as well."

"So, what brings you to Kyoto?" Mamoru asked. It was out of a mixture of curiosity and hope that he would appear less awkward by striking up a conversation. Koshiro had not given them any details in his sudden message.

"Takeru is writing a book that takes place in Kyoto. There is nothing like firsthand experience." Hikari said proudly.

Takeru flinched upon her saying that. "Hikari! I told you not to tell people." She gave him an exaggerated look of surprise that was quickly undercut by a smile. Hikari clearly wanted to mention this as much as possible.

"Anyway," Takeru ran his hand through his hair, looking embarrassed. "Koshiro told us that we should see if you guys needed any help in Kyoto. It was a good excuse to come to Kyoto since we wanted to take a break from school."

"We aren't here for a holiday." Hikari was chiding him, but there was a distinct lack of bite in her tone. It almost sounded playful.

Mamoru turned to Reina who seemed to be trying her best to appear congenial. While she still had a light smile on her face, she was pinching the seam of her skirt. Takeru and Hikari were not intimidating; in fact, they exuded a friendly approachability with their smiles. Yet they seemed to be too comfortable. It made Mamoru feel like he was intruding on what could easily be their date.

"What about your work?" Mamoru asked. Takeru made it sound so easy to just take two days and the weekend off in the middle of the semester. Reina turned to him with a disapproving look. In hindsight, his question was a little rude since they were here to help them.

"I guess you know I'm a writer now," Takeru said, shying away. "I'm doing a creative writing degree at Waseda, so my novel is going to be my finals project."

"My degree's school attachment is over, so I am free to do some sightseeing."

"So, it's okay when you say we are here for a vacation," Takeru said. He had the same tone as Hikari earlier when she was 'rebuking' him.

"Takeru…" Hikari just saying his name was apparently enough to convey what she wanted to.

Mamoru had an inkling of what she meant from her sweet tone. Just gentle enough so that it did not sound sardonic, like whenever Asuka employed something similar. Yet it remained subtly playful enough to get him to continue their back and forth. Mamoru did not have enough context to fully understand, but he knew enough to find it uncomfortable.

"You came at the right time for the peak of autumn," Reina said. "there's no need to let it go to waste." She was also having a hard time discerning if they were here first for a getaway or on serious business. They did come to Kiyomizu-dera temple immediately after they arrived.

"We want to enjoy the sights," Takeru said. "but we did actually come here for work. I don't mean my novel. Koshiro wanted us to see how you guys are doing."

"He didn't tell us," Mamoru said. They had been doing fine, so he wondered why the two of them would travel to Kyoto without any notice.

"Koshiro is pretty busy. He didn't even have the time to reply to tell us who we were meeting." Hikari said. As she said that, Reina took out her phone remembering that they had messaged Koshiro.

"Don't worry about it," Takeru said, responding to the sudden look of worry on Reina's face. "We messaged him that we found you before we walked over. It's marked as read, so Koshiro probably returned to his work when he found out this was settled."

"Is there something important happening today for Koshiro-san's company?" Mamoru knew he was a busy person, but this seemed excessive; sending an urgent message but not having the time to do the basic follow up.

"Urm…" Both of them gave an unusual pause. As if they were waiting for the other to say something first. Hikari squeezed Takeru's hand, which seemed to prompt him to speak.

"I'm not sure? We were going to visit my brother in Kagoshima. He had some leave, so he was going to take the ferry back to Kyushu from Tanegashima. But Koshiro told us to stop in Kyoto since there was a surge in Digimon appearances recently."

Mamoru found it strange that they were willing to drastically change their plans on short notice with so little explanation. Then again, he knew that the Tokyo DigiDestined were a group that formed over a decade ago. They would trust each other to do something important without hesitation.

"Do you need a place to stay then?" Reina asked. "My house has a guest room if you don't mind staying together."

Hearing her say that gave Mamoru a flashback to Noriko and Yasushi's stupid antics. Perhaps it was for the best that he and Reina were the ones to meet Hikari and Takeru. It would be even more embarrassing to suggest they stay in a love hotel as university students.

"Autumn is no time to lie alone," Takeru said to Hikari without any hesitation.

Hikari blushed slightly but did not give any overt reaction. Mamoru had to consciously prevent his jaw from dropping at the audacity of that comment. He turned to Reina to confirm that his discomfort was not due to his lesser social awareness. She had a quizzical look on her face as if she were trying to discern something that Mamoru could not see. Perhaps it was how Hikari could receive such a brazen compliment in public with so little reaction. Was he the only one that found this abnormal?

"Takeru, can you not quote things without context." Hikari's protest was weak for the words he had said.

"Lady Murasaki's Tale of Genji," Reina said. She sounded like she was thinking out loud.

"Oh?" Takeru's eyes lit up. "Sorry, I never asked what you guys study. Are you also a writer?"

"No, no," Reina said, waving her arm. "I study Literature at Kyodai. The Tale of Genji is one of my favourites, though."

Mamoru felt relieved that he was quoting literature instead of making something up like that one the spot. Though it still was uneasy hearing things that like that said so casually with.

"We'll be fine," Hikari said, returning to Reina's initial question. Mamoru prayed that she would not say something insane like they were already booked into a love hotel. "We are staying with friends in Kyoto."

Mamoru felt relieved, but before he could say anything, Hikari asked another question. "Do you know any hidden gems in Kyoto that we can visit?"

"The observation deck at Mount Daikichi," Reina responded immediately. Though Mamoru would have said the same thing, he noticed that she was becoming much more prompt. Probably put at ease by the fact that she had something in common with one of them. Mamoru wished he could say the same, especially with their verbal displays of affection.

"Do the two of you go there often?" Takeru asked.

"I guess? I am not sure about Mamoru," Reina said.

"You two, don't go together?" Takeru's smile faded as he started to look more concerned.

"We both live in Uji, but I don't think we've ever walked there together…" Reina trailed off.

"Wait, did you think we were together?" Mamoru said, his face contorting as he pieced together what had been happening.

"You're not?" Hikari squeaked. Takeru's hand went to his temple as he made the same realisation.

"Why would you think that?" Mamoru said, turning to Reina to prompt her to make a statement. She appeared to be astonished as well, her face red with embarrassment.

"Well, it was just the two of you." Hikari began. "And you both drank from the stream giving love life blessings earlier."

"I'm sorry, Mamoru-kun, Reina-chan," Takeru said bowing. "We must have made you feel very uncomfortable. We thought you were a couple so it would be okay…"

"It was still a bit extreme," Mamoru was exasperated but glad that they finally realised. Reina gave him another disapproving look. Still polite as ever even though they were on the receiving end.

"I guess we need to be a bit more considerate," Takeru said bowing again. Mamoru found it interesting how he went from being brash enough to quote a suggestive line from literature to polite and bashful so quickly.

"Sorry," It was Hikari apologising now. "We just became a couple a while ago so we must be overdoing it a bit."

"Hikari! They didn't need to know that either." Takeru sighed. "I can't believe none of our friends told us."

The Tokyo DigiDestined must be a very tight-knit group to have not felt uncomfortable. Perhaps they did and just did not say anything out of respect. Though Mamoru knew that it was more likely a group that had been together for so long was actually interested in watching this play out and indulged them.

"It's okay," Reina said with the best apologetic smile Mamoru had seen from her so far. "We understand."

Mamoru maintained in his mind that he barely understood this but decided that being polite was worth more. Both in terms of Takeru and Hikari's impressions, and to avoid any ire from Reina. Though in the end, his curiosity got the better of him. This was the second couple he knew in the Tokyo DigiDestined group. Mamoru was starting to wonder if this was the inevitable outcome of this kind of entanglement.

"Can I ask, is everyone in your group paired up with each other like this?"

Takeru and Hikari both looked at each other, deliberating what to say without speaking. It was Hikari that answered. "Not everyone?"

"Then, most of you?" Mamoru followed up. Reina looked curious as well.

"Your brother is…" Hikari said, turning to Takeru who preempted her question with a nod. "And Taichi visits Tottori a lot for 'work' so… about three-quarters of us are."

"And this is all just between DigiDestined," Mamoru said, not liking the numbers he heard.

"Well, technically, yes, I suppose. One person is not really from Tokyo, but everyone has a Digimon partner."

Was it possible to get an aneurysm from sheer aversion to something? It felt like it was possible to Mamoru. These things had a tendency to turn messy. Especially since their group was so new compared to theirs. If the main reason for their existence was to protect Kyoto, this was not just a distraction but a liability.

"Is something like this happening in the Kyoto group?" Hikari asked.

"No—" Mamoru was cut off by Reina who said the precisely the opposite. Mamoru turned to look at her, a bewildered look on his face. She made a slight shrug before looking away.

There was an uneasy silence as the four of them stood almost alone on the veranda of the temple. The sun had touched the horizon, and the sky was darkening. As the awkwardly looked around trying to decide what to say, the temple lights came on brightening the area.

At last, it was Takeru who spoke up. "Since we are here about Digimon, how has the group been doing on that front."

"Kodai is probably the best one to talk to about that," Mamoru said. He did not know how to really appraise the situation since he was relatively detached.

"How come he didn't come to meet us as well?" Hikari asked.

Mamoru was about to speak when Reina held up her phone. It was playing the video they had been sent earlier by Kodai. Takeru and Hikari bent down to get a closer look at the screen. They made a similar expression to Reina prior; their eyebrows were furled, but there was a faint smile on their face.

"I've never seen people have so much fun fighting," Takeru said with Hikari concurring shortly after.

Being keenly aware of the conversation he just had with Reina, he tried to shift the conversation. "Kodai responded to a Digimon appearance at Narabigaoka. He was just finishing up when we got the message you were coming."

"Is this the first appearance today?" Takeru asked.

Mamoru checked his Digivice's distortion map to confirm before he gave an answer. "Yes, there were quite a few distortions, but this was the only one that had a Digimon emerge from it."

"Has anyone been keeping track of the rate of distortions?" Takeru's tone became more forceful and urgent.

That sounded like something Yuki would do. Mamoru messaged her, hoping she was free to give them specifics on the data. "The appearances have more or less plateaued."

"The actual appearances aren't necessarily the most important thing," Hikari said, getting her Digivice out as well.

"Mamoru, didn't you tell me that the distortions at Amagase were actually appearances that went undetected?" Reina said.

"Yeah, but I thought that was just a glitch in the system." Noriko or Yasushi must have gone into more detail with her. Mamoru did not remember saying much about their occult research expedition to Reina.

Yuki replied to the group informing them that while Digimon appearances had plateaued, distortions had been steadily climbing. Today was the highest it had been since they had received their D-4s two months ago. Mamoru quickly asked how Digimon appearances were determined as opposed to just being distortions.

Yuki began typing her response as the rest of the chat group ground to a halt. They ceased their questions about what was happening and eagerly awaited her reply. After her awhile, her typing stopped, and it showed that she was recording a voice message. It must be either incredibly complex or essential if the normally reticent Yuki was going to speak out loud.

As this was happening, Mamoru could overhear Hikari and Takeru talking on speaker to someone.

"Hello? Takenouchi-san?" Hikari said, she sounded concerned which was quite a change from earlier in the conversation. Mamoru could not quite make out what the person on the other end of the line was saying.

"Yes, thank you for letting us stay at your house here." It was now Takeru that was doing most of the talking. "—I don't think we will be stopping by the university. —Takenouchi-san, sorry we didn't contact you earlier. This is actually about Digimon. We think a convergence event is about to happen. —No, it's our fault for not monitoring it closer. Koshiro told us that he suspected something could happen but not until the weekend."

Mamoru's eavesdropping was cut short by Yuki sending a voice recording to the group. He quickly increased the volume on his Digivice and held it between his and Reina's head.

Yuki's voice came out soft, forcing him to raise the volume to the maximum. "The distortions are attempts to pierce the dimensional barrier. Their increase suggests that there are more attempts to enter the real world. Digimon appearances are categorised by detecting a puncture in that barrier and the continued presence of a digital signature. Digital signatures are harder to detect and are normally most clear when the Digimon is using its abilities."

Mamoru paused the recording to internalise what she had said. What he pieced together was that it was possible all the Bakemon at Amagase went undetected because they had not done anything until they had shown up. All that registered were distortions that Koshiro's system never categorised as Digimon appearances.

"After you told us about Amagase, I contacted Koshiro-san about changing the system. Since we know the locations of all our partner Digimon, we refined it, so it detects any breach of the barrier as a Digimon appearance. Before that, it would have raised too many false alarms by detecting the digital signatures of our partners."

Yuki's explanation was clear. Though it did make Mamoru feel irritated at not being informed about this change. He could not blame Yuki since she had acted on her own initiative. No one else had thought to ask Koshiro about the detection system since they felt that they did not know enough to question it. The only mystery left was what the digital distortions were. Could they be all Digimon trying to breach their reality? If that was the case, the rising number appeared ominous. Mamoru quickly typed out a thank you message and explained that Takeru and Hikari were the ones who prompted the question.

"Mamoru-kun, Reina-chan," Takeru said, calling them over.

"Has anyone ever used the term 'convergence event' before?" Hikari asked.

"I've only heard you mention it just now over the phone," Mamoru confessed. He could feel Reina's disapproval as he admitted to eavesdropping.

"It's fine, we were also listening to the voice message you got from your friend," Hikari said, allaying their concerns. "A convergence event is when the boundaries between the two worlds begin to intersect. I think the first time it happened was over a decade ago."

"The Digital World appearing in the sky over Tokyo Bay?" Reina said. "We didn't see it firsthand since we all live in Kyoto."

"Yes that," Hikari said, turning to Takeru to continue the explanation.

"Koshiro said that what happened that day was an extreme version of a convergence. Nothing on that scale has happened since, the closest being what happened last summer. Since then, we've been tracking an increase in Digimon appearances. It started with just a single Parrotmon in Tokyo, but it's been appearances have been steadily spreading and increasing in number."

"Will Tokyo be okay?" Reina interrupted.

"They'll be fine, everyone else is ready there. And since the gate at Hikarigaoka was closed, Digimon appearances have been much rarer. Maybe once a month, even now. Kyoto is the real hotspot."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Mamoru demanded.

Hikari looked as though she was about to answer, but Takeru stopped her. "We didn't want to alarm you." He said calmly.

Mamoru was waiting to hear an elaboration, but none came. Takeru looked at him at with a steely expression. There was still a soft expression on his face, but his eyes conveyed a seriousness. He felt Reina's hand on his shoulder, which helped his simmering anger subside.

Reina turned to him. "He has a point. I don't think any of us could have gone on with our daily lives knowing that an explosion was waiting to happen."

"There is nothing we can do about it until it happens," Hikari added, trying to soothe the situation. "Maybe we should have told you instead of assuming it would be overwhelming."

He felt his nails digging into palm and slowly unclenched his fist. Mamoru let out a sigh before speaking. "I understand. It's not an easy decision. I would just like to know that more thought went into it instead of just dismissing us and our effort."

"Sorry, Mamoru-kun," Takeru said. The look in his eyes had returned to the mild-manner person he met earlier. "It wasn't our decision either, our brothers and Koshiro normally discuss this by themselves."

"So, what do we do now?" Reina said, trying to push the conversation along.

Takeru and Hikari went on their Digivices again to check for specific instructions. As they did this, Yuki messaged that the distortions were reaching their peak. Mamoru was worried about Kodai and Nagato. They were exhausted but also desperately needed if anything happened. Mamoru decided to take the initiative and told everyone to be prepared for Digimon appearances. All of them responded immediately over LINE telling him that they had Minami, Uji, Higashiyama and Nishijin covered. Kodai voiced his concern about Nishikyo since everyone was either in the east or north of the city. All Mamoru could say was that they would have to hope nothing happened there.

"Koshiro just messaged that the rest are handling a Digimon in Shinagawa," Hikari announced

Takeru nodded before turning towards the other two. "Mamoru-kun, we just heard back from Takenouchi-san as well, can anyone head to Kinkaku-ji now?"

Mamoru paused, trying to discern why they would send someone specifically to a temple. Reina responded for him and sent a text to Kodai and Nagato to make their way there. Did this have something to do with why they came to Kiyomizu-dera temple immediately when they arrived?

As Mamoru continued to ponder that strange instruction, Hikari and Takeru's partners emerged from their Digivices. Takeru's partner appeared to be an orange and white mammal. It was quadrupedal and strangely enough, had its wings on its head where one would expect ears to be. Hikari's parent was immediately recognisable as a Gatomon, though why she was at champion level already was puzzling.

"Hikari-chan?" Reina said, "How come your partner is already at champion level?"

"She naturally Digivolved to champion before I met her. I'm not really sure either, but that's the way Gatomon has always been."

Mamoru took that as his cue to bring out Hagurumon. Reina followed soon after, Salamon emerging from her Digivice. Hikari looked at Reina's partner with curiosity. It must be strange seeing another Digimon that was the same species as her partner, even if this was her rookie form.

Instantaneously their Digivice's went off with alerts of digital distortions around them. Each time Mamoru acknowledged the ping, another appeared in an unending stream. He felt much calmer at Amagase despite this being a repeat of the same scenario. Over half a minute had passed, and the alerts were still coming in. Yet there was no Digimon in sight despite the clear weather and the ample illumination.

"I'm not going to wait for something bad to happen," Takeru said, extending his Digivice in front of him for Patamon to Digivolve.

The Digivolution was a surprising sight. The four-legged mammal took on an entirely foreign shape, becoming a humanoid. Six pure white wings began to sprout from his back as the transformation neared completion. The most striking feature to Mamoru was that Angemon's hair was the same straw colour as his. It did not match the golden blond in the reference picture on his Digivice for a generic Angemon. No Digimon were ever exactly the same.

Small bats swarmed out from under the veranda and the main temple behind him. Mamoru shielded his face with his arms while Hagurumon moved to protect Reina. As he braced for the inevitable impact, a brilliant light forced him to squint. Angemon was radiating what Mamoru could only describe as divine light. The bats averted their attack, scattered by the shining rays.

It was hard for Mamoru to look directly at the angelic Digimon. He did not need to; the intensity of his presence could be felt. While Koshiro and Mimi's partners had this aura of strength or experience around them, Takeru's Digimon overflowed with it. To the point where he could feel it wash over his skin. Kabuterimon and Togemon seemed like they could hold their own against an ultimate level Digimon, Angemon felt as though it had the strength to outright defeat one.

"Takeru-kun, Angemon feels insanely powerful," Mamoru said, verbalising his thoughts.

"You should have seen my brother's partner when he was still around." Takeru was standing at the edge of the veranda with his arms crossed. "At champion level, Garurumon could hold off even a mega level Digimon."

The bats circled around for another attack, seeming to have become conditioned to the overwhelming presence of Angemon. Mamoru managed to get a better look at the bats to see they were spherical beast with talons for feet and a pair of ragged black wings.

"DemiDevilmon," Takeru spat. He seemed almost unrecognisable to Mamoru with his furious expression. Even Hikari looked on with concern, though she seemed to have seen this before.

Their guardian angel moved in between them and the descending horde of batlike Digimon. The light emanating from Angemon's wings collapsed into a bright sphere around his right fist. Angemon yelled as he loosed a blast of holy energy from his hand straight at the DemiDevimon. Mamoru was confident that any of them caught in the blast would be instantly knocked out like Leomon had done at Gion.

The bats attempted to scatter, but it was too late for most of them. Angemon's Heaven's Knuckle did not just dispatch the DemiDevimon, it utterly destroyed those caught in it. The Digimon were completely deleted, seeming to disintegrate pixel by pixel before evaporating into thin air. Mamoru could not describe Angemon as a guardian anymore, he was clearly an avenging angel.

Reina covered her mouth at the sight of Digimon being wiped from existence. Mamoru turned to Hikari to see that while she appeared unhappy, there was no trace of shock on her face. As if she knew that this would be the outcome of their battle. The remainder of the DemiDevimon fled into the tree line. Mamoru saw the signs of the survivors being infected with the evolution virus.

Before he could speak, Reina let out a loud sob. "Did you… kill them?"

"Yes," Takeru's reply was calm but with a seething undertone. His fists were clenched tight, his knuckles white from the pressure. Takeru's jawline was also more prominent from the force he was using to bite down.

"Why?" It was all Reina could manage. Mamoru was scared that she would be close to tears, but she looked relatively composed as well. The only outward indicators of her state were a slight redness in her face and the occasional quivering of her lower lip.

"They're demon type Digimon. It was necessary." Takeru said, utterly calm. The implication of his statement seemed to be there was some inherent evil to them. They certainly looked that way, but Mamoru had his reservations. Though this was a philosophical matter to think about once the danger had passed.

"The rest of them have the forced evolution virus, they're probably going to evolve," Mamoru said.

Takeru nodded in acknowledgement. "Let me handle this."

Before anyone could protest, Takeru's Digivice pulsed with light prompting Angemon to Digivolve. He was going straight to ultimate when his champion stage already appeared to be overwhelmingly powerful. No one in Kyoto had the power to destroy another Digimon, much less in a single strike.

The angel Digimon emerged from its evolution with an additional pair of wings, a sign of his greater power. He was now armed with purple weapons, a sword on his right wrist and a shield on his left forearm. The black steel helmet Angemon had worn before was now a purple mitre that still covered his face. Mamoru had to wonder if this was necessary.

Reina moved forward prepared to do something. Even if the Digimon attacking them had the look of demons, she still felt at least something for them. Mamoru had to admit to himself, even as he tried to be calculative, the only word that came to mind for what was happening was a massacre.

Mamoru's hand shot out, grabbing on to Reina's wrist. "Don't," He said, shaking his head.

Reina turned back to him, her expression a mixture of distress and fury. "We're just going to let this happen?"

"If Hikari can't or isn't going to stop him, I doubt we can." Mamoru knew that if Takeru did not listen to them, they would have no hope of physically forcing him even if they wanted to. Reina looked ready to protest before Mamoru cut her off. "We just need to take the Digimon down first and send them back to the Digital world."

The Digimon burst back out of the trees, five of them ready to attack. Mamoru could have sworn that he saw more of them survive. MagnaAngemon burst forward towards them, leaving the veranda they were on. He moved with such speed that it created turbulence in his wake, almost blowing away Hikari's scarf and Reina's dress.

Their attackers were now humanoid in form as well, though they still had their ragged wings. The Digimon had reptilian or possibly even draconic features with their long snout. Mamoru could feel a sense of horror as he looked at their glowing crimson eyes and claws. If he had Takeru's power, he was not sure he could resist destroying these hideous beasts either.

The lead Devidramon lashed out with its claws at the oncoming angel. The blow was easily deflected by his shield as the demonic dragon was knocked aside. The rest scattered, flying in different directions away from the veranda in the hopes of escaping their clearly superior foe. MagnaAngemon gave them no quarter and in a burst of speed, flew right behind one of the Devidramon and impaled it with his sword. The Digimon led out an unearthly scream as it disintegrated.

That screech had curdled all their blood, causing Mamoru to freeze in place as he watched the aerial battle unfold before him. More Devidramon appeared from the trees. Those that had been routed now glowed with light, appearing to Digivolve again. This was bad, Mamoru counted at least four of them were now evolving to their ultimate level.

Mamoru had not realised he was still holding onto Reina's wrist until now. He tugged on her again, snapping her out of a daze. "We need to Digivolve too."

Hikari had the same idea since her Gatomon was also enveloped by the shining light from their Digivices. Mamoru knew that they needed as many ultimate level Digimon as possible and decided to immediately Digivolve to Wisemon. He hoped that the past few weeks had increased his stamina enough to maintain this level for longer.

Gatomon's ultimate evolution was another surprise to him. The cat Digimon took on a human shape, becoming an angelic Digimon as well. Her eight snow-white wings were pointed down instead of being extended like MagnaAngemon. Again, Angewomon's appearance did not match the reference on his D-4. The reference picture showed an angel Digimon with only six wings. Had Hikari's partner gained so much power that her Digivolution now had an additional pair of wings?

Four of the DeviDramon had evolved into SkullSatamon. These ultimate level Digimon were now truly nightmarish, nothing more than crimson-boned skeletons wielding a large staff. At the centre of their ribcage was an orb of pure darkness. The corpse Digimon all charged MagnaAngemon who was now high above them.

Mamoru attempted to intervene, ordering Wisemon to fire his attacks at one of the SkullSatamon. As his partner prepared to unleash lightning from the two celestial orbs he carried, there was a reptilian growl. From the corner of his eye, Mamoru saw a Devidramon leap up onto the temple stage. It was too late for Wisemon to change the direction of his attack. Mamoru's eyes widened as the Digimon's claws lunged towards his partner.

There was the familiar sound of sparking electricity before Mamoru head a thunderclap. The Devidramon had been smashed on its side, sending it flying off the platform. Standing at the point of impact was a small white cat with yellow paws. Reina's Gatomon had just saved him and Wisemon. Mamoru continued to fire off his attack but missed as the SkullSatamon flew converged on MagnaAngemon. The angel looked to be surrounded. He raised his shield and folded in his wings, bracing for their simultaneous attacks.

An arrow of pure light soared through the sky, striking the SkullSatamon furthest from them. Takeru yelled out, and MagnaAngemon used the opening to dive away from danger. Angewomon stood next to Hikari on the veranda, left arm outstretched. Her glove had extended to become a bow. She fired a volley of arrows, keeping the SkullSatamon off balance and striking some of the Devidramon. As the first SkullSatamon Angewomon had struck fell towards the veranda, Hikari pointed her Digivice towards it, sucking it back into the digital world. Mamoru ordered Wisemon to use Pandora Dialogue, ensnaring two of more Devidramon and allowing him to send them back to their world safely.

The battle continued to rage on, the number of demonic Digimon dwindling. Reina and Mamoru worked as a team, Gatomon protecting Wisemon as he used his time-space abilities to trap Devidramon. What was more impressive was the teamwork from Takeru and Hikari. The two angel Digimon fought in perfect synchronisation. MagnaAngemon would take the lead, using his sword and shield to deflect or parry any attacks aimed at the pair. Angewomon would then quickly sway places with him, firing off a barrage of holy arrows as their foes were still recovering. They accomplished all this in mid-air, fluidly flying around one another, exchanging places when the need arose.

The attacking Digimon were reduced to just one SkullSatamon. Mamoru and Reina watched from the temple stage, having finished mopping up the champion level Digimon. The demon Digimon attempted a final attack, firing a jet of fire from the end of its staff. MagnaAngemon slashed at the oncoming attack with his sword, sundering it into two streams that passed harmlessly around him.

"MagnaAngemon, Heaven's Gate" Takeru ordered.

The angel drew a circle with his sword, manifesting a golden metallic gate. Even from behind, Mamoru could see a halo of light from the edge of the circular gate. It must be blinding to look at it directly. The SkullSatamon froze, unsure of how to react. As it turned to attempt to escape, recognising the danger, a pillar of light blasted forth from the gate, completely annihilating the Digimon. Mamoru wondered if Reina still felt conflicted. Within him, he now felt only a twinge of sadness at destroying such a horrific Digimon.

Reina and Mamoru's Digivice buzzed at the same time. The silence from Hikari and Takeru's Digivice meant that this was a message from the other Kyoto DigiDestined. Mamoru sighed, thankful for the respite. He was not sure he could hold Wisemon's form any longer to fight another wave of attackers.

Mamoru immediately tensed up again as he read the messages. Yuki and Natsuki were struggling, crying out for help. The other four had managed to defeat the Digimon in their area but were still rushing to the next scene. Noriko and Yasushi had taken longer to finish their battle and were just leaving Uji for Minami. Worse of all, Kodai and Nagato informed them that an alert had gone out about a Digimon appearance at Saiho-ji temple. That was all the way in north Nishikyo.

"We can't get to all these places in time," Reina said, biting her lower lip.

"Takeru…" Hikari said, holding his hand with both of her's "Can you do it?"

Mamoru was unsure of what trick he had up his sleeve, but it was probably their only viable option.

"The whole city will see it," Takeru replied softly, turning to face her. He seemed to have left his state of controlled rage. Was that what gave MagnaAngemon that amount of power? Koshiro did say that higher stages of Digivolution tapped on not just potential but specific traits. Strong emotions were probably also essential to that.

"Okay, but I can't do it without you."

Reina and Mamoru watched as the two Tokyo DigiDestined extended their Digivices. Angewomon created a rainbow aura around herself and MagnaAngemon. Even from a distance, Mamoru could feel the saintly air soothing him. Their hands still linked, Takeru and Hikari's Digivices pulsed, their casings gaining a gold lining in addition to their colour. The two angel Digimon began to ascend into the sky towards the centre of Kyoto, ablaze with a golden light. This was mega Digivolution.

It was difficult to see their exact forms at such a distance. All Mamoru could make out were two figures with wings of shining gold. One was clad in a deep azure armour and the other a light teal. The pair looked like a rising star, illuminating the sky and the city below them in the setting sky. There was a brilliant burst of light over downtown Kyoto, and seven orbs of energy flew out towards the corners of the city.

As the two Digimon made their return, Mamoru began to see messages on the LINE group informing everyone else that the Digimon had been subdued. Yuki and Natsuki were extremely relieved, on the brink of being overpowered until a ball of holy energy struck down their foe. Natsuki's message had the most emoji's Mamoru had ever seen in one text.

"Did that attack kill the other Digimon?" Reina asked hesitantly.

"No, Seraphimon's attack just overpowered them." Takeru had a sad smile on his face.

As he walked away, Hikari approached them. "It's a long story. I'm not sure what you think… but he's not a bad person."

"I can tell," Reina said, prompting a gentle smile from Hikari, "I'm not sure what to feel yet."

"We'll be around in Kyoto for a while. Please feel free to text us." Hikari said.

"Thank you for your help," Reina did a deep bow. "I'm sorry the situation pushed you and Takeru to this."

Hikari waved her hand, pushing aside Reina's apology. "We're DigiDestined. We know what it means to be that. Takeru knows too, even if it isn't easy or pleasant."

Mamoru wondered: what did it mean to be a DigiDestined?


	8. Angel's Wake

**Chapter 8: Angel's Wake**

Hikari had been polite enough to tell them that they needed some space and left with Takeru for the Kiyomizu-dera gardens. Mamoru could not really care at this point. Not long after the battle ended, his head had started pounding. Shortly after he found just standing up tedious. It was a vast improvement that Hagurumon could stay as Wisemon for over twenty minutes. In heated combat no less. Though he knew it would be impossible to manage this if he had to Digivolve to ultimate level regularly.

There were spots of black in his vision that came and went. It was like being drunk without any of the actual inebriation that made it bearable. Mamoru was keenly aware of his inability to walk unsupported. That task fell embarrassingly to Reina who had to help him down the temple stairs. Mamoru struggled not to actually rest his weight on her. She could probably take it since his lack of athleticism made him light for a guy. That still did not make it any less burdensome for her.

"Hey!" Reina's call came too late to prevent his legs from giving way.

Mamoru only managed to stop his fall by tightening his grip around her neck. Reina let out a grunt as she tried to hold him up. "I told you, just rest your weight on me. This really hurts."

"Sorry," Mamoru groaned. He stood up, still only lightly resting his arm around her shoulders.

"You're gonna pull my neck at this rate." Reina sighed. Before Mamoru could make his feeble reply, she grabbed his wrist and forced him to tighten his hold on her. He could feel the tip of his ears heat up in embarrassment. Despite his desire to protest, Mamoru accepted that this was necessary. Reina would only be even more aggravated if he fell again.

As they walked through Gion, Mamoru's condition began to improve. He still felt weak in his legs, but his headache was subsiding. It had eased from a sharp hammering to just a dull throb. Mamoru had expected more people to be staring him limping along, being propped up by Reina. If it were any other day, he would probably be right. Today there just happened to be something much stranger. Everyone they passed in the shopping district was either deep in conversation among themselves or glued to their phones.

"Reina, can you check the news." Mamoru croaked as they reached the bus stop on Higashioji Avenue.

After letting him down gently onto the seat, Reina began searching on her D-4 for what they both knew was the likely buzz. Sure enough, social media was exploding with videos of Takeru and Hikari's Digimon rocketing skyward, wrapped in golden light. Most comments focused on the beauty and magnificence of the sight. Though some people had begun to suggest that this had something to do with Digimon.

The sheer number of people that had seen the two angels ascending over Kyoto was drowning out the other reports of Digimon. Buried behind the front page were people reporting Digimon appearances all over the city. They were starting to draw the implicit connection between this sighting and the sudden surge in appearances.

With the worse of his fatigue subsiding, reduced to just general feelings of exhaustion, Mamoru messaged the LINE group checking up on everyone. Nagato informed everyone that he was proceeding to north Nishikyo alone. Kodai was in no shape to continue, having been forced to Digivolve to ultimate level twice today. Noriko and Yasushi reported that they had found the Digimon in Minami and sent it back to the Digital World. Though there was already a crowd gathered around it. Despite everything that had happened, Kyoto was no longer in danger.

"I'm on the wrong side of the road," Mamoru said as he tried to stand up. He was still a little unsteady, but it was nothing he had not managed before after a night at an Izakaya.

"You're not seriously intending to head back to Yoshida, are you?" Reina had a stern look on her face.

"Why wouldn't I? There is still class tomorrow." Mamoru started to walk towards the pedestrian crossing up the road.

"I'm not letting you go back alone."

"Right, we still haven't had dinner."

Reina's fierce expression broke down upon hearing that, letting out a giggle. Mamoru wanted to believe that he intentionally said that to make her laugh, but he knew he was so drained that he just spat out the first thoughts that came to mind.

"Get on my bus," She said, smiling, "I'll walk you back home."

Mamoru felt embarrassed at this reversal of social norms. Typically it was the guy who offered to do this kind of thing. Reina even stayed in northern Uji. She would have to go out of her way to send him to his house south of the river.

"I've got instant noodles in my dorm."

"Enough of that," She huffed. "If you really want to eat trash that badly we can grab some food from the convince store near your house."

There was a hint of regret at revealing where he stayed to the group. "It's not the end of the week yet, I can't go back to Uji."

"If I can commute to school every day from Uji then you can survive it too." Reina's harms were crossed matching her tone, but the smile on her face threw him off.

"You really want dinner, huh?"

"Would you stop bringing it up?" She sighed. "It's not funny anymore. So, are you going to go home, or do I have to force you?"

Mamoru gave a tired smile and raised his hands as they continued to wait for the bus. It took them to the Kyoto Daiichi Hospital, where they alighted and walked to the Tofukuji train station. Rush hour had ended, and passenger traffic on the Nara Line had died down. Mamoru constantly fought the urge to doze off as they sat next to each other silently. After accidentally nodding off a few times and slouching over onto Reina's shoulder, she apparently had enough of it.

"You want to come to my house for dinner?" Reina said, pushing Mamoru's head upright from her shoulder.

He blinked hard to wake himself up. "Didn't you say your parents weren't cooking dinner for you?"

"They heard about the Digimon attacks, so they came home worried."

"Your parents weren't planning on going home tonight?"

"They were planning to work overtime at the studio. Then they saw the news and rushed home, hoping I would be there after my last message." Reina was not looking at him, or even his reflection in the window opposite their seats. She was just staring off into space.

Mamoru did not respond, waiting for her to continue. But she continued to look out into the night, seeing the lights of houses along the train tracks flash by. He saw Reina's eyes flicker as if her mind had just returned from wandering outside her body.

"They're fine—" She hastily added, "I told them I was okay before we left the temple. They made dinner since they were at home. Before going back to work."

Mamoru was still unsure of this, now for multiple reasons. "You sure you don't want some time for yourself? I'm feeling better now."

"Please, you can hardly stay awake." Reina scoffed. She was clearly avoiding his question.

Mamoru decided to push ahead anyway. "Are you alright?"

She paused for a moment before turning to him. "I should be asking you that."

"I'm just exhausted. You, on the other hand…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Reina narrowed her eyes, now looking directly at him.

"Don't pretend like you're all okay with what happened at the temple." Mamoru stared back at her.

"You're getting more daring," She said, turning away. "bring this up immediately."

"I've always been concerned… So, do you still want me over for dinner?"

Reina gulped before giving her answer. "Why not. I can't just let you go off by yourself. You'll probably just turn around and head back to Yoshida." As she paused, a smile came to her face. "You really want dinner, don't you?"

"Sure, let's go with that." Who was really the one that should not be left alone?

As they exited Obaku station, it brought back memories for Mamoru. It was only a few steps from his house, but he had not been to this station since he left high school. For three years, it had been a part of his daily routine to walk to and from this station. Now the place almost seemed foreign. The only familiar presence was Reina who he had seen occasionally over the years.

"This way," She said, pointing away from the direction of their old high school. "I live up ahead near the temple."

Mamoru was not sure what he was expecting. Unlike himself, she stayed in a house instead of an apartment. It had the façade of an old Kyoto Machiya townhouse, but it was clearly a modern building. For someone who could quote from classics like The Tale of Genji, it made sense they would live in such a traditional-looking building. The interior of the house had modern western fixtures like a dedicated living and dining room which further confused Mamoru. It must have taken special effort to build a home in the style of a Machiya; only to have it furnished in a modern fashion.

"We can eat in my room," Reina said, taking a tray of onigiri from the kitchen. "Can you grab two glasses and the oolong tea?"

Mamoru shrugged and did as he was instructed. The kitchen was quite a mess anyway. There were piles of paper all over the dining table with the odd pencil lying about.

"Sorry, my parents work for an animation studio. It can get pretty messy when they do their work at home." Reina said as they climbed the stairs to her room.

The floor was completely lined with a light green tatami, and most of the furniture in Reina's room had a wooden finish. There was not a single chair in the room, and even her desk sat low to the floor. The walls were sparsely decorated with only a few ukiyo-e prints and the odd poster. Most of the colour in the room came from her multiple shelves which were a kaleidoscope of different book covers.

"Reminds me of my dorm," Mamoru said, thinking aloud.

"And why exactly?" She had an inquisitorial tone.

"The only decorations are books," He said as he pointed towards the massive collection behind them.

Reina huffed, ignoring his statement. From the look on her face, she must find it hard to tell if it was an insult or a compliment. As they ate at the Kotatsu in the centre of the room, Mamoru realised that he had been going on nothing but coffee for the last few hours. Although he wanted to continue their conversation, he became too caught up with dinner.

"Your mom's a good cook," Mamoru managed between bites.

"I made most of the ingredients," Reina said flatly. "All my mom did was cook the rice and shape the onigiri."

Mamoru looked at the filling of bonito flakes at the centre of his rice ball. "How do you manage this and travelling to school every day?"

"Reading on the train." Reina was looking at the ceiling, glass of tea in hand.

"You're really not interested in talking." Mamoru sighed as he finished the last of the onigiri.

"I'm just making sure you're okay. Since you've polished off five rice balls, I am guessing you are." Her tone was not quite aloof, but it was also apparent she wanted to disengage.

Mamoru stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be on my way then."

"Wait—" She let out a long sigh. "You don't need to get angry."

His move was only partially calculated; a part of Mamoru was genuinely angry. "You keep saying you want to make sure I'm fine, but you also want to pretend like today was no big deal." Mamoru drew in a large breath. "It was the first time I've seen that too… A Digimon being destroyed."

"Why do you want to talk about that so badly." Her voice cracked up.

"You were willing to talk to me about this a few hours ago." Mamoru was not sure if he should be forthcoming and voice his concern about her state. It could backfire tremendously and make her clamp up even more.

"Didn't what happen at the temple just prove your point." She turned away dejectedly.

"That doesn't mean you have to be okay with it." Mamoru's voice was starting to rise. "Fighting and hurting Digimon is one thing. Killing them is a real escalation."

"You make it sound like I can actually do that."

"Reina… I'm not saying you're a killer or anything like that." Mamoru grasped his forehead as he sat back down. Even after dinner, he was not sure he had the energy for this.

"That's not what I mean." She turned back to him with a scowl on her face. At least she was not going to cry, the anger he could handle. "I've never felt so powerless before."

"Gatomon saved Wisemon and me during the fight." Mamoru offered as he sat back down.

"We wouldn't have been able to do anything ourselves." She buried her face into her hands. For someone averse to fighting, Mamoru found that she was exceedingly frustrated by a lack of combat ability.

"There were over a dozen Digimon. None of us would have been able to handle it."

"I was the only one not able to Digivolve any further." Reina clutched her Digivice tightly.

"Most of us can't." Mamoru was hesitant, keenly aware that he was speaking as someone who could Digivolve to ultimate on command.

"You saw Angewomon. How powerful she was." Reina was now looking blankly into space again.

"It feels contradictory," Mamoru said, looking directly at her. Though her gaze still did not turn to him.

"Is that wrong?" It made him flinch.

"No, no," Mamoru began, only now realising his statement could be interpreted as a criticism. "It was just an observation. I kinda get it. Wishing that you had more power, but also not wanting to use it."

"Those Digimon," Reina leaned back, letting loose her soft black hair. "Did they really deserve to be deleted?"

"I don't know," Mamoru's mind would ordinarily have been racing the moment the battle had ended, thinking of its implications. But he was dead exhausted today. Even now, despite the seriousness of the conversation, it was difficult to keep his eyelids open. "but they were the most vicious I've ever seen them."

"The attack in Gion was actually a good thing." Reina bordered on mumbling.

"It's true, but pretty ironic." If the temple had been full, the Digimon might have broken off to attack other guests instead of focusing on them.

"I didn't know that Salamon's ultimate Digivolution would be an angel type Digimon."

"Well, Wisemon looks nothing like Clockmon. I guess the only thing they have in common is that they are both space-time Digimon."

"She was beautiful with that prismatic aura around her." Reina seemed mesmerised by the thought of Angewomon.

"You'll get there," Mamoru said.

"I don't know if I should, or if I actually want to. We need to get stronger to protect Kyoto, but…"

"It also means more fighting and potentially killing Digimon."

"I don't want to delete them, or even hurt them" Reina clearly did not want to say it out loud: that Digimon was being killed.

"But you want to defend Kyoto," Mamoru sighed.

"Isn't that what it means to be a DigiDestined?" Reina gave him the same sad smile he had seen throughout the day.

"We didn't choose this though,"

"That's what's important to you, isn't it?" Was Reina just saying this on a whim? Or was this a conclusion that she had seriously thought through?

Mamoru decided to deflect the question back unto her. "Isn't that why this is so difficult for you? Being forced to fight because you happened to have a partner?"

"It's the price for having Salamon, then it's one that I can live with." There was a twinge of sadness in her voice. Even if she wanted to see it that way, it still avoided the fact that Digimon was thrust upon them.

"Do you love Salamon that much?"

"Don't you feel the same about Hagurumon? They've changed our lives." Reina looked to her Digivice, on her home screen was Salamon's sprite fast asleep.

Their Digimon had changed their lives, having a constant companion with them. Mamoru would be lying if he said that their lives were not made more interesting by having partners. Even if they had not gone on any incredibly adventures to the Digital World like the Tokyo DigiDestined, it was anything but boring. The price was that it made having any conventional life goals difficult.

"You can't honestly be thinking about whether you value your own Digimon partner." Reina seemed to be teasing the expression he had while he was thinking.

"It's not that simple." Mamoru shrugged. It had taken him quite a while to get through his train of thought. He badly needed to rest.

"It never is with you."

As he thought up a reply, Reina stood up and began to clean the table. She had decided that their conversation was over for tonight.

"What time's your first class?" She said, carrying the tray and glasses towards the door.

"Eleven in the morning," Mamoru said before yawning.

"Your getting kind of slow," She chuckled at her own words, "no way you'll go all the way back to Yoshida now."

"Just wait and see,"

"I'll put this back in the kitchen then we can go."

"We? I can make it home on my own. You should get some rest."

Reina seemed to sense that he would not take no for an answer. "We'll talk about this at the door."

* * *

Mamoru flinched as he felt someone push him over.

"Stop groaning, we're gonna be late." It was Reina's voice. He must have fallen asleep while she was downstairs.

He scrambled to get up. It must almost be time for the last train. Reina probably thought she was being considerate, letting him rest for so long. Although he may now have to end up walking home. Mamoru felt his back was sore from the position he was sleeping in. It was a struggle to turn his stiff neck. What kind of position had he been sleeping in for it to be this bad?

As he opened his eyes, he saw that Reina was now dressed in jeans with her ever-present purple cardigan. Her hair was slightly damp, making it appear like a soft gleaming obsidian. No wonder it was so late, she had even taken a shower. His eyes were beginning to adjust when Reina drew open her curtains, flooding the room with sunlight.

"Wait— what time is it?" He said, rubbing his eyes.

"Just past nine in the morning, we better get going." She said nonchalantly as she began to pack her laptop into her bag.

"You didn't wake me up?" Mamoru felt blood rush to his face. He could not decide if he was more irritated or embarrassed. "Your parents are just okay with this?"

"They worked at the studio overnight. It's not uncommon." As much as she tried to sound unphased, Mamoru could hear little jumps in her tone.

"No wonder my back hurts," Mamoru grumbled.

"Sorry… You were asleep by the time I finished cleaning up. I didn't want to wake you up, so I just went with it."

Mamoru searched for his Digivice to check for the exact time. As he rummaged through his pockets, Reina moved over to her desk to unplug something.

"Here, I charged it," Reina said, handing him back his phone. Hargurumon's sprite was still fast asleep on his home screen as he unlocked it to check for the time.

"I hope no one is going to realise that I'm wearing the same clothes as yesterday." Mamoru shrugged. He was still quite perturbed but decided not to make an issue out of it. Reina was trying to be helpful, even though it had come out as awkward and inconvenient.

They made it in time for the rapid train to take them back towards Tofukuji where they would change to the Keihan Main Line. Demachiyanagi station where they would be alighting was to the north of Kyodai. Too far away from his dorm, south of the university campus, for him to make a quick stop before class to freshen up. Mamoru had become a bit spoilt, living walking distance from all his classes. At least it was well-passed rush hour, and seats were easy to find on the train.

Reina tapped his shoulder as the train rushed past Tachibana High School. "Look at the news."

Mamoru was expecting it to be more news on what was had happened yesterday over Kyoto. Instead, the bulk of the coverage was on a Digimon appearance in Shinagawa that Hikari had mentioned. The battled had happened during rush hour near the massive rail interchange. The video coverage was shaky and grainy, but he got the gist of what was happening. What looked like a gigantic maroon beetle firing lightning at robotic dinosaur with two massive cannons on its back.

"That's probably Koshiro-san's ultimate level Digivolution," Mamoru said, thinking out loud.

"Keep watching," Reina said, continuing to hold out her Digivice.

A small pink fairy-like Digimon swooped in from above, binding the machine dinosaur with a lasso made of flowers. Mamoru assumed that she was probably Mimi's ultimate level Digivolution. The footage continued showing two more Digimon joining the fight that Mamoru had never seen before one. One was a crimson feathered humanoid Digimon that fired a blazing attack from the wings on its back. The other was much harder to describe. It looked vaguely draconid with its light blue legs and arms. Though it also appeared almost insect-like with its forearms being protected by thick, carapace-like, black gauntlets. As the other Digimon pinned down the wild Digimon, the dragon-insect Digimon seemed to finish it off with two cannons attached to its hips.

"I guess this caught more attention than seeing a bright light over Kyoto." Mamoru was impressed at the level of coordination he had seen in the video. The machine Digimon looked too strong for the Kyoto DigiDestined to even attempt to take on. The original group in Tokyo had managed to subdue it in a crowded area without injuring anyone.

"That's not all, NHK is airing a report from America." Reina swiped to another tab on her phone.

There was more amateur footage of a Digimon attack in New York. A ridiculous orange monkey was running amok. Its attack appeared to be sound-based, pulling out a microphone and singing into it, causing the windows in the surrounding buildings to shatter. Out of the Hudson river emerged a massive red sea serpent with a golden metallic head plate. It fired a bolt of lightning from the blade-horn protruding on its forehead. Despite missing the monkey Digimon, it pushed it into the path of two oncoming missiles. Hovering a few stories off the ground was a rabbit-like Digimon clad in green armour. The cannons on its arms must be missile launchers. These two Digimon must be the partners of the American DigiDestined Mimi talked about.

Reina put down her phone as the video finished. "Kodai wants to meet us today."

"Are we discussing all of this?"

"I guess…" Reina sounded incredibly reluctant.

"Are you going to bring up what he did yesterday?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, we can decide on that later." Mamoru regretted bring it up so thoughtlessly. He did not have anything prepared.

"He wants to meet right after lectures. You don't have any tutorials afterwards, right?"

"No, I'll be free by lunchtime. Though I really want to change and take a shower."

"Kodai sounds determined," She said, checking her messages. "He'll probably be willing to go to your dorm."

Mamoru raised his eyebrows, turning towards her to see if she was serious.

"Unless you don't want us there." She shrugged. There were quirks in her tone, but it was different from the hesitance before. It was almost like she was teasing him.

"There is nothing much to see," Mamoru began. "but I guess you guys should see where I live."

Reina did not respond to him verbally, sending a text to their group informing Kodai of where they were meeting. Despite all his concern about her condition, there were pressing issues to discuss.

He barely arrived on time; the lecture hall already packed with people. Mamoru had been forced to borrow a spare notebook from Reina to take notes since he left his laptop in his dorm. It was a frustrating experience to sit in the worst seats at what he discovered to be a crucial lecture. It was the only time they would be covering Nicomachean Ethics this term even though it was an essential text. Not to mention Mamoru was so dishevelled from sleeping on the floor that he attracted the stray looks of people. Maybe they thought he was hungover.

As he walked back to his dorm after the two-hour lecture, he attempted to review the notes he had taken. The irritation of them being handwritten instead of typed was the least of his worries. Some parts were unintelligible, and others were literally him scribbling down what he already knew. All this a product of a poor night's rest and the pressure he felt from all the stares.

By the time he arrived at his door, he was already seething. Digimon had just been a drain on his time before. Now it was actively interfering with his studies. He had even cleared out the previous evening. Yet it still ate into the next day by running him into the ground. Mamoru's anger briefly flashed towards Reina for letting him sleep on the floor. Though he realised that if he had gone home or to Yoshida, he would have probably not woke up for the lecture at all.

His Digivice buzzed with a message saying that Kodai was on his way. It was only a thirty-minute bus ride from Nijo to Kyodai. Mamoru groaned at the lack of reprieve. He would have to clean up the mess of books and notes in his room before they got here in addition to washing up.

Reina was still as considerate as ever, standing outside in the growing autumn chill for over fifteen minutes to give Mamoru some space. When he came down from his room to discover her just standing there, he felt a twinge of guilt. This morphed into mild anxiety when he saw Asuka was standing outside talking to her.

"Mamoru," Asuka said in her cloying voice, making Mamoru brace himself mentally. "not even I have seen your dorm, and we've been friends throughout high school."

"Sorry about that," Mamoru said drily.

Her exaggerated expression changed to mild surprise when she finally got a good look at him. "Geez, you look terrible." Mamoru appreciated Asuka speaking normally after she realised he was not in any condition for their usual back and forth. Though he still had to resist the urge to retort at her restatement of the obvious.

"We had a long day," Reina said with an apologetic smile.

"We?" Asuka said, narrowing her eyes at him. Mamoru started thinking of a reply to dissuade her from concluding what he assumed she would. Before he could manage something, Asuka took out her phone. "Does it have something to do with this?"

It was a video she had taken herself from the Kyodai library of Takeru and Hikari's Digimon over Kyoto. "I wanted to message Mamoru about it," she said before turning to Reina, "but it seemed even too weird for you and your Digi-animals."

Neither of them bothered to correct her. "It's a long and complicated story." Reina offered, knowing that Asuka was nosy as well.

Asuka pushed up her red-rimmed glasses and pulled her tote bag over her shoulder. "You promise to tell me eventually?" To her credit, she also knew when prying would become antagonistic instead of irritatingly endearing. Noriko could learn something from her.

"I will," Mamoru said.

Asuka saw her bus approaching and began to hurriedly walk toward the bus stop, waving as she went. "And I expect to be invited to see your room!"

Once Kodai arrived, Mamoru led them to his dorm room on the third floor. It was only slightly larger than Reina's room and even more sparsely decorated. There were no ornaments of any sort. The only additions to its original furnishings were a mountain of books from the library and a stash of instant food on his shelf. They settled around the low table at the centre of his room. The tatami floor was still cold, the heater having only been turned on less than an hour ago.

"You look like shit," Kodai said, looking at right at Mamoru. He was direct as ever.

"You don't look so good yourself." Kodai had bags under his eyes. It was unlikely that they had just developed after what happened yesterday. Even if he did exhaust himself even more by Digivolving twice in only a few hours.

They began to settle in, Kodai distributing the food he had brought. It was convenience store food, which seemed to be all he and Nagato ever ate. The onigiri was good, but it paled in comparison to the homemade filling Reina made. Mamoru turned to see her shiver a bit.

"Sorry, they don't give us kotatsus here," Mamoru said. "Do you want to use my blanket?"

Reina politely declined by waving him off, continuing to eat silently at the table. She must be still thinking of whether to bring up what Kodai did yesterday.

"Could be worse, I thought you were staying at the old Yoshida dorms?" Kodai said.

"That ramshackle place? It's only two thousand five hundred yen rent, but you get what you paid for."

"Doesn't your school want to tear it down?" Mamoru could not tell if this was Kodai just making idle conversation or if he was also still thinking about how to address what happened.

"The student committee is fighting them over it. Though if I were on it, I would probably just try to get the place renovated so that it could actually be preserved."

"Why aren't you on any committees?" Kodai asked.

"No time," Mamoru shrugged. Between school and all the Digimon running around, it would be insane to take on more work.

"Yeah, we need everyone to concentrate more on handling the Digimon appearances."

Mamoru could understand why Kodai said what he did. It did not particularly lack tact, at least from what he could conceive as Kodai's perspective. But it was possibly the worst time for him to mention something like this. Reina seemed to have noticed, and she looked poised to say something. He wanted to let her attempt to defuse the situation, but his frustration boiled over.

"Yesterday was so shit that I got screwed out of my lecture today." Mamoru spat.

"It's just one lecture—"

"Isn't that the whole the whole damn point of going to university?"

Kodai sat upright. "Is school that important to you?"

"Shouldn't it?" For a person who was pursuing a degree that was essential to the career they were hoping for; Kodai's lack of ability to comprehend this was astounding to Mamoru.

"There are more important things. You saw what happened yesterday." Kodai's voice echoed in the small room.

"That's not our job."

"Then who the hell else will do it? Not like we can just go out and ask for volunteers."

"We didn't volunteer either."

"Then why the hell did you accept that Digivice?"

"What, I should have refused?"

Maybe Kodai was right but could anyone really have refused in front of everyone? Especially when, as Kodai had already put it, only they could do it.

"I don't know what you think being a DigiDestined is, but it's a responsibility we've been given. We can't just ignore it."

"You act like you chose to have Bearmon as a partner."

"You're right, none of us originally had any choice. That doesn't mean you can't still choose it."

"I didn't choose to have to limp back to Uji and sleep on the floor."

Kodai paused, seemingly taken aback. "Why?"

In the lull, Mamoru realised that he was probably confused instead of being shocked. "The same reason Nagato had to help you back."

"Why would you sleep on the floor at your own—" Kodai turned toward Reina. "It's lucky you were there to drag him back to Uji. Imagine him trying to stumble his way back here or to his house."

Despite the atmosphere in the room simmering down, Reina still looked hesitant to intervene. Her eyes were wide, but she maintained a passive posture, sitting stiffly in a seiza position. Kodai's compliment seemed to have put her more at ease.

"It's in our name, Mamoru," Kodai's tone was much more subdued now, though it did not make his statement any less confusing. All Japanese names had meanings, but it was strange to think of it as something they needed to live up to. "We're DigiDestined, it is destiny that we have this responsibility."

Mamoru knew that still did not answer the fact that none of them chose this. Destiny could be thrust upon them, but they did not need to just accept it. That would be saying he had no agency, that he could only go along with what was meant to be. Though it seemed that Kodai was right about one thing. It did not matter to him if he was chosen or not, he freely embraced it anyway.

"We need more power; we need mega evolution." There was a look of resolve in his eyes as he stared directly at him. "You saw Seraphimon take out all those rampaging Digimon from across the city. Even if we can't reach that kind of power, yet, there were so many ultimate level Digimon that day that we need any amount we can get. You're the only other person who is close to reaching the final Digivolution stage. You need to do this."

For a moment, Mamoru felt a surge of resolve. That what he did was not just important but irreplaceable. Kodai could talk him into anything if he were not more careful. Doubt entered his mind as he examined what he said. Even if GrapLeomon was reaching power levels comparable to Takeru and Hikari's Digimon, Wisemon definitely was not. Mega evolution was a world away.

"Kodai, what about the rest of us?" Reina was dejected. "Aren't we important to this?"

"You are," He said, backpedalling. "If everyone could reach ultimate level, it would be helpful. But as Koshiro-san said, the power growth is exponential. Reach mega level would help us the most."

Mamoru found that insensitive, even if it was probably right. Even though Kodai did not have the benefit of yesterday's conversation with Reina, he should be able to pick up her insecurity. He knew that they had seen Digimon destroyed for the first time, but Mamoru doubted he could really comprehend it until he saw it firsthand. Much like how he could only realise why Reina was so concerned with her lack of power after seeing Angewomon himself. Somehow, he still doubted that Kodai would have a problem with killing Digimon if it came to it.

"I'm going to meet with Takaishi-san and Yagami-san on Saturday. Do you guys want to come?" Kodai asked. It seemed that he had finally picked up on the unease from them.

After waiting a few seconds, Reina finally nodded.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," Kodai said, waving his hand. "You look like you could use some rest." Kodai got up and began to clean up the table, apparently ready to leave.

"You look like you could use some rest too," Mamoru said, finally looking up at him.

"Can't," He replied as he walked to the door. "This is too important."

It reminded Mamoru of what he would say to Asuka whenever she told him to take a break from studying. Kodai smiled as he left, leaving Reina and Mamoru alone again.


	9. Storm Mountain Syndrome

**Chapter 9: Storm Mountain Syndrome**

The weekend passed like a blur. Mamoru barely remembered being awake. He did not remember ultimate Digivolution before the D-4s being this exhausting. Though he also had not fought so many Digimon at once until that November day. Despite missing out on a whole weekend and falling further behind in his work; the one good thing that came out of this is that he had a convenient reason not to meet the rest on Saturday.

As pleasant as Hikari and Takeru were, he did not see the practical use of meeting them in his current state. It was possible that Kodai simply had that much more stamina since he played baseball in high school. Though the more likely reason he pushed himself despite his fatigue was for information. Kodai probably hoped that he could discover how to Digivolve further from them. Mamoru felt better when Reina informed him Takeru and Hikari would be returning to Kyoto in the future. They also wanted to thank him for suggesting a visit to Daikichiyama. Mamoru had never thought of Mount Daikichi as romantic, but he understood why they said that.

The only important piece of information they had gained was that this was probably the first of many convergence events. Apparently, this was somehow considered mild by the Tokyo DigiDestined. What interested Mamoru was that Takeru and Hikari were not exhausted at all from Digivolving, even to their mega levels. Yuki upon hearing this information speculated that it may have to do with the fact they possessed the original crest. This was the most straightforward answer given what Koshiro had told them. Mamoru was still sure that it was more to do with the gulf in experience between them.

Fall gave way to the beginnings of winter as they neared December. The respite given by a drop in Digimon appearances was welcomed, though it made Mamoru exceedingly suspicious. It was a directionless feeling and without a specific object of mistrust. Amorphous, gripping him from time to time. In the end, it was for the best. Mamoru spent the last weeks of fall perpetually tired. Drifting off during class and cutting it close for his assignments. The only Digimon appearance he had responded to had ended well, but it exposed a more concerning issue. Just Digivoling to Clockmon had sapped Mamoru. He needed to believe that it was temporary, that this limitation was just their lack of experience instead of inherent to the D-4s.

Kyoto seemed to hold its breath, waiting for first snow. Reina took the initiative to organize a social outing for their little group. This was the first time since they formed three months ago that they would be doing something purely for fun. The objective of this was difficult to discern. Kodai's vocal support made him think this was another measure to increase their ability to coordinate in battle, somehow. Mamoru could hardly believe that Reina would be so cynical to have the same intent.

They had agreed to finally meet closer to Nagato and Kodai instead of dragging them constantly to East Kyoto. Arashiyama held a lantern festival in mid-December that lit up the bamboo forest at night. It was another famous Kyoto attraction that Mamoru had never bothered with. He had a reasonable justification; it was one of the furthest possible places to reach in Kyoto from Uji. Mamoru was constantly tempted to give this outing a pass. His delayed assignments were starting to snowball. It was as if Reina could sense this and made it clear that he had no excuse. He was living in Kyoto, and even the two third-year high schoolers of their group were still committed.

Inevitably, people began to drop out as the day neared. The first person was surprising since it was the youngest of the group, but at the same time completely innocuous. Yuki was easily the least sociable of them. Kacho High's computer club was in some sort of software competition. Unexpectedly, Natsuki declared her intention to view the lanterns anyway. The situation continued to deteriorate with both Kodai and Reina being unable to attend despite them being the masterminds. Mamoru wanted to take that as his cue to jump ship but continued to be strong-armed by Reina. If it were Noriko's pestering, he probably would not have given it a second thought. But it was hard to refuse Reina, especially after she had let him awkwardly rest at her house overnight. The final group count withered down to a paltry four people with Yasushi deciding he needed to study.

It was only five in the evening, but the sky was already completely dark. The Saga-Arashiyama station exuded a rustic atmosphere with the old steam train it had on display. The temperature had dipped enough for Mamoru to bring out his brown parka. He stood around, unsure of how long he would have to wait, attempting to keep his hands warm by stuffing into his pockets. The scenario he dreaded the most began occurring as Natsuki announced she would be the next to arrive. Mamoru had literally not said a word to her before. He had hardly heard her talk either. Natsuki descended from the escalator clad in a tan-coloured trench coat that closely matched her hair. The two of them saw each other but hesitated, unsure if they should approach. Mamoru knew that if he did not do something, they would probably end up standing in separate corners until Noriko arrived.

"Hey," he mumbled.

Natsuki shifted her eyes in confusion before she politely bowed. Mamoru on reflex returned the bow, not knowing what else to do. She fumbled through her pockets, seeming to look for her Digivice.

Mamoru cut her off before she could pretend to be busy on her phone. "I know you're really close to Yuki. How come you decide to come without her?"

"I wanted to see the lights," Natsuki replied.

"Anything in particular?" At this time of year, any temple had nicely lit plants.

"The Ikebana arrangements." She said hesitantly. The Arashiyama lantern festival was also accompanied by various flower arrangement displays.

"Oh? That's your hobby?" The impression that Natsuki was the wealthy, Nadeshiko type became solidified in Mamoru's mind. Though there was nothing necessarily wrong about it.

"Some masters are displaying their arrangement here tonight. I wanted to get some inspiration for my club project." Natsuki took out her D-4 and showed him some of the expected highlights.

"Is there any particular school you follow?" Mamoru was only vaguely aware of the various Ikebana styles. Mostly from osmosis being near the Ikebana club room in high school.

"Not really, I mostly just make things in the Seika form. I wanted to take it more seriously, but its hard to find the time. I guess I like the Sogetsu school's style the most."

Not even an inkling of an image that came to his mind when she mentioned that school of Ikebana. The amount Natsuki knew as too much for this just to be a rich girl's time-wasting activity. Or at least that is what Mamoru could gather. The only thing he could understand was not having enough time to pursue their own interest. It was good enough.

"You know, I thought you would be in the concert band or something. Since that's what Tachibana is known for."

"Oh, no," Natsuki said, waving her hand. "I wanted to, but it's too time-consuming. They practice marching more than some sports clubs. I also don't like getting sweaty."

At least she was honest about her prissiness. Though Mamoru could not really judge her since he avoided sports like the plague. "Do you like doing all the Digimon stuff then? With all the running around."

"Not really," She said, shying away. "Floramon doesn't really like fighting either. But I guess we go where we are needed."

She was another passive member of the group. How many of them were just doing this without questioning it?

Noriko arrived shortly after, bundled in a maroon down jacket. Surprisingly, she had someone else in tow wearing the same thing but in light blue.

"Sorry, my parents insisted that I bring him along," Noriko said.

"Hey, it's the clock guy." Susumu pointed straight at him as he appeared from behind his sister.

Mamoru sighed. "Can you not call me that."

The boy shrugged, turning to his sister for instructions. "Just call him Sanada-san." At least she was not prompting him to also call him senpai.

"How long is Nagato gonna take?" Natsuki asked.

"He messaged me to go ahead first. He's finishing remedial in school." Noriko made it sound as if this was a regular occurrence. There was a loud huff from Natsuki that seemed to confirm this.

They walked parallel to the tracks of the Sagano Line, passing through a neighbourhood. It was hard to believe that they were near an expansive bamboo forest at all. They could see Mount Atago in the distance, but there was nothing to indicate that the urban sprawl would end any time soon. The concrete jungle was dispelled as they turned into a small alleyway. At the end of the short street was a massive thicket of bamboo that engulfed the road. The power lines running above them seemed to disappear into the foliage.

Walking down the street was like crossing the threshold into another realm. The concrete walls of the buildings gave way to moss-covered stones. Chain link fences on the roadside transformed into a rustic bamboo and wicker mesh. Even the ground below them was lined with cobblestone instead of asphalt. Could tourist fully appreciate this? It was like he had been transported back to the Japan of old that even Kyoto seemed to have lost.

The lanterns on the sides of their path lit the way on this moonless night. Mamoru could imagine Arashiyama forest would otherwise be pitch black. Inside the wild growth were spotlights aimed up into the air. The bamboo towered above them, almost double the height of telephone poles. They were four or five stories tall, utterly bare except for its branches at the very top. Their canopy was bathed in multi-coloured hue coming from each of the lights. It diffused throughout the forest, making it look otherworldly. The bamboo surrounding the white-blue lights looked as if they were an ethereal crystal, while those around the warmer yellow and green lights were vibrantly glowing. It felt like magic. As if they were entering the realm of the forest kami who had mixed day and night together. The bamboo grove at Arashiyama had become nature's gilded path guiding them deeper into its heart.

"This is boring," Susumu cried. "Noriko, why do you like this kind of things…"

Despite the boy's claims a few months ago at Mount Daikichi, he did not look like he was about to begin junior high. His whiny tone and the fact he still wore his Randoseru around made him appear closer to an overgrown elementary schooler.

"You act like you can see bamboo like this everywhere." Noriko chided.

"We can," he continued to protest. "there is a bunch that grows on the roadside. I even look like this when the streetlights turn on." Mamoru resisted the urge to laugh. What Susumu said might not be objectively true at all, but Mamoru could believe it would look that way to a twelve-year-old.

It was a weekday night, and the DigiDestined only passed other groups every now and then. Following the path, they came to a fork in the road. On their right was the Torii entrance to the Nonomiya shrine. The other path continued to Kameyama park, which contained most of the bamboo forest.

"Let's go visit the shrine," Noriko said, dragging Susumu before he could protest.

"Why?" Mamoru asked as he started down the other pathway.

"The Ikebana exhibition is at Tenryu-ji temple," Natsuki added.

Noriko paused, looking as though she was concocting a rationale on the spot. Saying she wanted to go would have been sufficient. This made Mamoru even more suspicious. "They have a garden carpeted with moss?"

That would be an interesting sight. As Mamoru turned around, he realized that this was an attraction to see in the day. It was unlikely to be lit for night viewing. "Wait, just what exactly do you want from this."

Natsuki had already taken out her D-4 and searched up the shrine on the internet. "It says it's a shrine mainly for marriage blessings."

"Noriko, why would we go there?" Susumu whined.

"Aren't you a bit young and unattached to be asking for this kind of blessing," Mamoru said drily.

"Fine, whatever," Noriko replied, throwing her hands into the air. "Let's go to Tenryu-ji."

Upon entering the northern temple gardens, Natsuki was immediately drawn to the Ikebana displays. Mamoru had no idea that it was possible to arrange flowers outdoors in such low temperatures. Most of the pieces appeared sparse, having mostly bare branches. Many were made with evergreens or covered with hardy mosses and lichen to give it more colour. What the displays had in common was their use of bamboo elements. Either as the vase which held the floors or as a plant in the arrangement itself.

"How can flowers still survive at this time of year?" Mamoru asked.

Natsuki registered his question with a nod, though she did not take her eyes off the exhibits. "They mostly use winterberries or plum blossoms that actually bloom during winter."

Mamoru was beginning to understand how Yuki and Natsuki could be friends despite their radically different social appearance. They both seemed to have a very engrossed personality. All attempts to ask Natsuki to explain the principles of Ikebana to him were abject failures. Aside from some talk about forming triangles with the plants and the importance of the vessel they were held in; Mamoru could not grasp much. It was partly his own lack of genuine interest but also how ephemeral Natsuki made Ikebana sound. More to do with feeling where the plants went than any concrete principles. All he could do was nod along to keep the conversation going.

Susumu was still protesting some distance away about the lack of snow to Noriko. Apparently, he had been promised a snowball fight for coming all the way from Uji. Mamoru knew he would be disappointed, the forecast said it was unlikely to consistently snow until next year. After Natsuki had thoroughly examined all the displays, they continued toward the main forest. Nagato messaged them, saying that he was on the train and would meet them directly at the Arashiyama observation deck. The bamboo seemed to swallow the world as they moved further inside. Even Tenryu-ji's massive structure disappeared in the sea of green stalks. Few people were walking around this deep, giving the unnaturally lit forest an isolated atmosphere.

"Kind of reminds you of Amagase, doesn't it?" Mamoru said with a smirk. In front of him, he could see Noriko lock up mid-step.

"That's the place where you fought the ghost Digimon, right?" Natsuki asked, unaffected.

It was impossible for him to forget that encounter, but he could not blame Natsuki for failing to keep track of everything. Between all of them, they had dealt with something close to fifty Digimon appearances. Many of the minor ones were starting to blur together.

"Yes…" Noriko began, "and its nothing like this place." Her protest was fierce. "We can actually see here." Mamoru could have pushed his teasing further, but he decided to just take his small victory and leave it at that.

"It's snowing!" Susumu shouted.

Mamoru squinted, attempting to find a trace of snow pellets. The temperature could dip enough for short bouts of snow. Hardly enough for a snowball fight but still probably enough to gratify him. Natsuki and Noriko were also searching in vain for any trace of snow.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" Noriko said, apparently already fed up with her younger brother.

"I swear, I felt it twice on my face." Susumu was adamant despite his flimsy evidence. Noriko still looked thoroughly unconvinced and continued to give the boy a deadpan look. "It's true, you just didn't feel it. Koromon will back me up."

Susumu placed his turtle shell-like backpack on the ground and undid the latches at the bottom. As he opened the flap, the pink ball that was his partner Digimon burst out onto the path.

"Why didn't you just keep Koromon in your Digivice?" Mamoru said as the little Digimon bounced around, complaining about almost being suffocated in the schoolbag.

"It can do that?" Susumu stared at his blue Digivice.

"Never mind," Mamoru had forgotten only they were given Koshiro's invention and that Susumu was still using a D-3.

"Noriko, is that why I don't see Lopmon much anymore?" He said, pointing to Noriko's smartphone. She really had taken Koshiro's advice seriously and kept him in entirely in the dark.

"Erm…" She hesitated, making the same face earlier when she was manufacturing a reason to go to that shrine. "Yeah, Lopmon likes it better on my phone."

"It's because he can follow you outside isn't it." His arms were crossed. "Why don't I get one?"

"Our friend gave this to us. He only made a few so he couldn't give it to everyone." From the looks of it, this explanation was failing to placate him. "You'll get one eventually," Noriko added.

"When?" The boy was shrewd.

"I'm not sure," Noriko said with a nervous smile, averting her gaze from him.

"You just made this up." It was precisely what Mamoru would have thought if he did not know the truth.

Natsuki sensing this impasse decided to step in. "Your sister isn't lying. It's really expensive to make these." She said, holding up her own D-4. "Koshiro-san is making more, but he can't tell us exactly when he'll give them out."

"So, you just got these because you're stronger than me." Susumu huffed.

Even if that was literally the case, Mamoru knew it was not going to end well just flatly confirming it. "We are older than you."

Susumu opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. After a brief paused, he sighed and picked up Koromon. The boy would probably not have believed his sister, so it was for the best that someone else spelt it out to him.

"So, Susumu," Noriko said, "There is still no snow anywhere."

"There was." He protested. "I bet Koromon can make some snow."

The Digimon started to blow bubbles into the air in what seemed to be an attempt to get them to freeze. It was cold, but still definitely above freezing. They harmlessly floated through the air, failing to crystalize. It was a pleasant sight, the bubbles floating through the forest, glinting in kaleidoscopic hues as they passed by the lanterns.

"Susumu! What if someone was around?" Noriko nagged.

"There's no one." He protested. "Why would anyone care anyway?"

"People haven't been happy with Digimon recently," Natsuki said. "The damage being done is costing everyone a lot of money."

"But Koromon has nothing to do with it."

"But they don't know that." Natsuki sighed.

"Well, they should." He continued to protest.

Mamoru decided to step in. Hopefully, as the oldest, he could use that perception to his advantage. "They should, but it's hard for them. Digimon all look the same to them."

Susumu looked at him intently, processing what he said. To the boy's credit, he did not try to continue with his tirade like a less mature teenager would. He was understandably angry, but he seemed to be able to accept the implicit point that some people were like that. There was nothing he could do at this point, even if they were wrong.

"Thanks, Senpai." Noriko probably knew that if she argued with her brother, it would be fruitless. They were clearly the type of siblings that liked to bicker.

"Sanada-san," It was Natsuki, "Are you getting the same alert as well?"

Mamoru unlocked the screen, seeing a notification flash to life immediately. There was a Digimon appearance right where they were. The others brought out their Digimon partners and began to scan their surroundings. The shoulder height bamboo fence made it difficult to see into the brush. Natsuki's partner Floramon was one of the larger rookie level Digimon Mamoru had seen. The humanoid plant Digimon was roughly the size of Susumu.

"Hagurumon, do you sense any other Digimon?" Mamoru asked as he continued to scan with his Digivice.

The machine Digimon rotated from side to side as if he were shaking his floating head. It could be a false alarm, but given how polished the system had become, it seemed unlikely. Their Digivices continued to register an appearance right where they were.

"Koromon and I can help too." Susumu declared. His D-3 lit up, causing Koromon to Digivolve.

Mamoru was surprised by the outcome. He had been expecting the black reptilian Digimon he saw months ago. Instead, this Agumon was bright orange. "Did your Digimon change?"

"No?" Susumu said, confused.

Noriko answered on his behalf. "Susumu's just weird. Sometimes his partner Digivolves to a regular Agumon and sometimes to a black one."

"How long has this been going on for?" Mamoru had never heard of this before. Everyone's Digimon partner had one evolutionary line.

"It's always been like that?" Susumu replied.

"Kadotani-san, did you know about this?"

"No, Noriko-chan never told me." Natsuki was not looking at him, still scanning for the supposed Digimon appearance.

"Where's that Digimon, my phone won't stop ringing." Noriko hissed. The implications of Susumu's variable Digivolution had would have to wait. They had more pressing issues.

They formed a small circle and continued to check their D-4s. The reading kept saying that the Digimon was within twenty meters of them. Mamoru was unsure how accurate Koshiro's satellite system was compared to standard GPS. Given its previous precision, he had little reason to doubt it had a large error range. Even if they were covered by a canopy of bamboo leaves. The tension had heightened their senses, and Mamoru started to register small flakes of snow landing on his face before quickly melting. He had mistaken it for a slight drizzle earlier.

"See, I wasn't lying," Susumu said. "I belt you can all feel the snow now."

The snowfall was light and inconsistent. Only someone who had been looking for it would have detected it earlier. Mamoru was certain that it was still above freezing. If Koromon blew bubbles again, it would still not turn into snowflakes. Mamoru flinched as he made a realization. He began to rapidly scroll through his LINE messages, looking for the summary Yuki gave on the detection system. Everyone turned to him as the message started playing back Yuki's voice.

"What are you thinking?" Noriko asked.

"Not now, I'm trying to listen." From the corner of his vision, he could see Noriko briefly pout before returning to her serious expression.

After hearing the adjustments Yuki made to the system, Mamoru let out a sigh of relief. "I think the system is detecting Agumon." Susumu gave him the most confused look of all, prompting him to explain further. "Yuki adjusted the parameters of what the system would classify as a Digimon appearance. It probably registered Koromon using his bubble attack as a digital distortion not linked to any of our partners."

The explanation seemed too overwhelming for Susumu, who nodded along. Natsuki seemed to be satisfied, as well. It was only Noriko who maintained her sceptical look.

"So that means it was all a false alarm?" Susumu said.

"Pretty much," Mamoru said with a shrug. He could hear Hagurumon's gears begin to slow down as the tension dissipated. "Kadotani-san, did Yuki tell you about how to alter the detection parameters again?"

Natsuki shook her head apologetically. "Yuki mentioned it, but I didn't understand much. I'm not good at that kind of things."

Mamoru sighed, there was nothing they could do from here. They would just have to tolerate the endless buzzing of their phones as it continued to give a false alarm. He had better message the others, especially Nagato, to tell them this was nothing to be concern about. Hopefully, Yuki would be free to do something about this.

As he opened LINE and began to type out his message, Noriko stopped him. "Senpai, this doesn't quite add up."

Mamoru was slightly irritated at this. They had just wasted almost ten minutes standing around, looking for a Digimon that was not there. After this, there was still dinner before he could get back to his long night of work. "What do you mean."

"The system classifies a Digimon appearance as both the presence of a distortion and digital signature." Her expression was dead serious, prompting Mamoru to reconsider his conclusion. "that still means there is a distortion occurring here."

"Distortions are occurring all around Kyoto." Mamoru countered.

"There are were quite a few around the temple just now. It's something that we can't discount."

Natsuki and Susumu both looked undecided. Even if Noriko's suspicions were correct, there was no telling where the Digimon could be. They could spend hours searching through the bamboo and turn up nothing. Though if they just left Arashiyama, they might have to turn around if a Digimon did reveal itself.

"Senpai, I don't think Koshiro-san's system is so easily fooled. I am sure it knows how to recognize Digivices. Even if it wasn't tracking my brother's Digimon before, it should have been able to categorize it as being partnered after it interacted with his D-3."

Mamoru threw his head up in frustration. As he gazed at the illuminated canopy, there was a now a significant amount of snow. He watched the flakes flutter toward the earth. Looking back at everyone, there were now bits of snow gently resting on their hair and shoulders. Where was all this snow coming from?

"Nagato says he is almost here. He's asking for an update on the Digimon appearance." Natsuki said, interrupting his flow of thought.

"Ask him if it is snowing near him," Noriko ordered. Before Mamoru could protest, she sent her reply.

He was getting fed up with all their speculating, wearing a scowl on his face. This was a colossal waste of time, running what was supposed to be a brief outing. Nagato's reply came back confused, asking why it would be snowing anywhere in Kyoto. The temperature was still five degrees above freezing so early in the evening.

"A Digimon is doing this," Noriko declared. "We're only a few hundred meters from the temple."

He started formulating a retort but was cut short as everyone returned to an alert posture. Mamoru fought to control his irritation. Noriko's point was more or less proven by this strange, localized snow. A blast of ice shot out from the tree line, smashing through the bamboo fence. It sent everyone scrambling for cover as their Digimon attempted to locate their foe.

Judging from the pings they had been getting on their D-4s. It was probably only one Digimon and unlikely to be very strong, given its limited area of influence. Even then, it was better to be safe than sorry. Mamoru held out his phone and prepared to Digivolve.

A wave of nausea washed over him as he taped the Digivolution icon. It subsided quickly, but there was no change in Hagurumon. Mamoru gritted his teeth and attempted to Digivolve again only to be met with the same result.

"I can't Digivolve!" Noriko cried.

Turning to Natsuki, she was livid. Pressing aggressively on her Digivice's screen attempting to get it to work. Floramon gave her a concerned look as she continued in vain to attempt Digivolution.

Another blast of ice shot over their head. Mamoru was sure that there was only one Digimon since it kept attacking from the same angle. Even if it was champion level, they should be able to take it on with four rookie level Digimon.

A white blur leapt overhead onto the path, turning around to face them; it looked to be an Agumon, except it was completely pale. The albino Digimon fired off more blast of ice, forcing them to retreat into the bamboo. A stray ice bolt struck one of the bamboo stems causing ice to rapidly form along its length. The weather began to thicken from an intermittent snow drizzle to light hail. The little bits of ice stung his exposed skin as its intensity slowly increased.

They were disorganized, running haphazardly in the same direction. The shock of not being able to Digivolved seemed to have got to all of them. SnowAgumon continued to chase them through the underbrush, firing its attack indiscriminately. Inevitably, one of the iceballs found its mark and was barreling straight for Noriko. Lopmon attempted to intercept the attack, spinning its ears rapidly to create a small vortex. The blast struck Noriko's partner Digimon instead, sending the little bunny flying back into her arms. One of her ears was encased in ice. It was a potent attack for a rookie Digimon.

Unable to retreat any further with one of their party incapacitated, they were forced to stand and fight. Floramon was the closet to their assailant and lashed out with her hands. The flower stigmas protruding from the ends of her arms extended to become thorny vines. Natsuki's partner brought them around, attempting to whip the SnowAgumon.

Their attacker countered with its claws, using it to deflect the blows. Worse, it seemed to have the same effect as its ice breath, causing Floramon's arms to freeze up. Hagurumon was next, firing off his cog crusher attack. It was again intercepted mid-air by an ice blast from the albino Digimon's mouth. It stopped the electrified gear in its tracks, leaving it to fall to the ground frozen.

The only one with any success seemed to be Susumu's Agumon. His pepper breath was again met with an almost identical icy blast from the SnowAgumon. Instead of overwhelming the attack like it had done to the others, they seemed to neutralize each other. The fire and ice collided with each other creating a large cloud of ice vapour.

"Kid, keep attacking," Mamoru ordered. "Fire is extra effective."

The boy nodded with determination and shouted a command to his partner. The orange reptile responded with gusto and launched a barrage of fireballs at its ice counterpart. This was met with a return volley that collided together, creating a shower of small ice crystal shards. The air glimmer as the little crystals caught the light of lamps around them.

Agumon appeared exhausted, exerting himself to fire that many attacks at once. It was evident that Susumu's partner was less experienced than the others, being so easily worn out in battle. The wild Digimon had no such shortcomings and fired its attacks at the now defenceless Agumon. There was little choice left for Mamoru. Hagurumon was even less effective than Agumon at combating this particular Digimon. Though he wagered that Hagurumon's metal body was far sturdier than even the scaly reptile.

"Hagurumon, shield him!" Mamoru cried. The machine Digimon bolted into the path of the attack, prepared to take the full blow. Hopefully, Agumon or someone else could recover enough for them to turn the tide.

There was the rustling of leaves as the ice blast left SnowAgumon's mouth. As it was about to connect, a cascade of wood descended and took the brunt of the attack. It was as if the forest had collapsed in front of them. Mamoru turned towards the stumps of the bamboo to see a small figure wielding a wooden shinai.

"Do you know how long it takes to grow that!" Natsuki cried. Mamoru was at least glad to see her priorities were consistent.

"I rush to get here in time, and this is what I get," Nagato grumbled.

Kotemon jumped forward between the SnowAgumon and the rest of the group. He took a jodan kenjutsu stance, shinai held high above his head. The bamboo lying on the ground was as thick as one of his legs, yet the Digimon had cut it clean through. How he had managed that with a training sword was beyond Mamoru. The SnowAgumon looked staggered by the change of events but still chose to press the attack.

"Watch out, it's ice blast will freeze anything short of a fire attack," Mamoru said.

Nagato nodded in acknowledge as Kotemon continued his advance. Susumu's Agumon continued to keep up a steady stream of fireballs to support Kotemon. Hagurumon chipped in with more cog crushers, but he seemed unusually sluggish in the rate of his attacks. The SnowAgumon was kept on the defensive as it used all its ice blast to intercept the incoming attacks.

Their foe spotted a break in their attack pattern and managed to launch an iceball at Kotemon. Even if it was intercepted by his shinai, Mamoru was almost sure that it would spread ice to at least Kotemon's hands. As the blast neared, Nagato yelled out a kendo Kiai of a vertical strike. His partner Digimon's sword lit up with flames before making contact, completely dissipating the SnowAgumon's attack. Kotemon continued to neutralize more attacks with his shinai as the supporting barrage from Agumon and Hagurumon slowed down. Moving right up to their foe, the SnowAgumon attempted a last-ditch attack with its claws.

"Thunder Kote!" Nagato roared.

His partner easily parried the SnowAgumon's claws with his shinai, sending it reeling. In that opening, Kotemon's left hand shot out, charged with electricity. Crackling and static rang out through the forest as it connected, knocking the albino Digimon out.

The snow had already melted as they sent the wild Digimon back to the digital world. More proof of the unnatural nature of the weather. Natsuki was still fuming about Nagato's indiscriminate destruction of nature. Though he made an excellent point, it would eventually grow back. If that attack had connected with one of the DigiDestined, it would have instantly given them severe frostbite.

"Nagato couldn't Digivolve either," Noriko mumbled.

It was disturbing that none of them were able to Digivolve. If it were just Mamoru, it would be fairly easy to explain given his fatigue. But all of them? Perhaps it was something to do with Arashiyama itself. Mamoru did not know much about the history of place names in Kyoto, but he assumed this area was called Storm Mountain for a reason. He also noticed that the bulk of the distortions and appearances they encountered were either near nature or in some historic area. All this pointed towards some kind of supernatural connection.

Mamoru turned to Noriko to verbalize his hypothesis but stopped himself. If he brought up an urban legend-supernatural theory about Digimon to Noriko, it would probably freak her out. As entertaining as the results could be, he knew it was too compelling for her to later just brush aside as a joke. If Noriko dwelled on it, it could end up affecting her ability to deal with Digimon.

Noriko noticed his gaze. "Hey Senpai, you were pretty off back there. Jumping to conclusions without thinking everything through. You're normally not like that."

"Sorry…" mumbled Mamoru. He had let his irritation get the better of him. Noriko had not been doing anything out of the ordinary to deserve it.

"Ah, it's fine." She said, tossing her short chestnut hair back. "you'll just owe me one."

Mamoru was about to groan, but he stopped himself and nodded. He did owe her for thinking everything through and concluding that there was a Digimon around. They could have been injured if they were less prepared when the SnowAgumon attacked.

"Why do you think that Digimon was so strong." It was Nagato who interrupted their conversation, having finished being scolded by Natsuki.

"I'm not sure. It could be just a very experienced rookie." Mamoru replied.

"Do you think it has something to do with the weather?" Noriko added.

"Unclear…" Nagato replied.

"I wouldn't discount it," Mamoru said, rubbing his chin in thought. "but it also seemed like it was affecting the weather. It could be feedback loop as well, but we've got too little to make any conclusions."

There was an audible growl from Nagato's stomach. Noriko and Natsuki giggled at the sound, shattering the serious atmosphere of their conversation. Mamoru checked his D-4 and saw it was well past seven.

"Which convenience store to you want to eat at." Natsuki teased. Mamoru drew in a deep breath and prayed they would not actually be doing that. He had already been eating instant and processed food in his room for the past few days. The whole point of him taking a break was to get some actual food before he holed himself up again for work.

"You serious?" Nagato said. There was a glint in his eye. As if he had been given the go-ahead to give his unpopular dinner suggestion.

"How about Udon?" Mamoru interjected.

"I really wanted that," Nagato responded. He was incredibly predictable.

Despite the enjoyment Mamoru had interacting with the other DigiDestined again, it was always undercut by the dread he felt about his spiralling academics. Even their only outing purely for fun had been interrupted by Digimon. It seemed more and more like a job instead of just something they happened to be doing. At least dinner that night at an udon shop was jovial. Their problems with Digivolving could wait for another day to be discussed with everyone.


	10. Someday in the Snow

**Chapter 10: Someday in the Snow**

The weather forecast could not have been more wrong. As it neared Christmas, Kyoto was being pelted by a burst of snowfall. The streets and roofs never stayed white for very long, melting within hours. It was consistent but always seemed to leave as quickly as it came. A winter wonderland it was not. Most of the time, it was nothing but sleet that turned foul as it touched the ground.

Mamoru wondered if Susumu was having fun. That kid was the only personal imaginable who could be enjoying this. The sudden plunge in temperature around Kyoto had made it miserable to go anywhere outdoors. Even in his dorm, it was freezing since he only had basic heating. Reina must be enjoying her kotatsu at home. Doing work was a bitterly cold experience, and trudging to class was no better. The paths were now congested, and the compacted snow often refroze turning the pavements slick.

Winter break was still over a week away and could not come soon enough. With his first semester routine disrupted by his commitments as a DigiDestined, he had been pushed into living deadline to deadline. Even his urge to read ahead during the break to save himself, so trouble was being suppressed. Really, Mamoru just wanted to lay down for a day or two and finally do nothing.

"Oi, Mamoru, are you paying attention?" Asuka jabbed his arm using her chopsticks.

"Oh, come on." Mamoru groaned as he reached for his napkin. "That's disgusting."

"I haven't touched the food with them yet."

"You have terrible manners." He sighed.

"Only because it's you." She sneered.

Mamoru ignored her and continued to eat his curry rice. The campus cafeteria was still lively despite the consistent inclement weather outside. It seemed to be busier than usual since everyone was less willing to travel out for lunch. Asuka had initially planned to eat at the café under the Yoshida clocktower. Perhaps she was making up for Mamoru's reluctance to pay more for lunch by being extra irritating.

"How come I never see you around campus with Reina?" Asuka asked between bites of her fried mackerel.

"Why would you? We aren't even in the same course."

"Neither am I, but I still find time to meet you after my economics lecture each week."

"How's your coursework going by the way?"

There was a sharp crack as Asuka slammed her chopsticks into the table. "I was just talking about that. You weren't paying attention at all."

He gave her a lacklustre shrug before eating another spoon full of his curry. "So why are you asking about Reina."

"Aren't you guys good friends now, with all your digital animal stuff?"

Mamoru narrowed his eyes. It was not clear if she was prying. Then again, Asuka was so over the top with her usual attempts that it often lulled him into a false sense of security. "I guess? I haven't seen her in person since November."

"Oh?" she made a slight smile. "Was it the day she went to your room?"

He resisted the urge to audibly groan again. Though it could be worse. Asuka would be going berserk if she knew that he had stayed overnight at Reina's house. Even if it was by accident. "Don't get any strange ideas. It was a meeting. And Kodai did show up."

"She wasn't at your bamboo outing?"

"No… she still forced me to go." Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"Forced you?" Asuka's smile had grown into a smirk. "Wasn't Noriko there?"

"It was a group outing." He protested.

"Anymore "group" outings soon?" She said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"We wanted to all go for a shrine visit on New Year's Eve. But Reina insists that everyone come. So that's unlikely to go ahead.

"The only important thing for you is if Noriko is there, right?" Asuka had her index finger out and a smug look on her face.

"What do you want Asuka? The food is getting cold."

"At first I thought you were going for Reina, but now it seems like you've changed to Noriko." She covered her mouth in faux embarrassment, her smirk still clearly visible.

He almost choked on the curry as he heard that. "What the hell? I know gossiping is your hobby but don't do this to me."

"Hey, you're the one sending all these mixed signals." Asuka shrugged.

"What signals?" A scowl came over Mamoru's face. "Stop imagining things."

"I'm not, Reina told me." Her expression was starting to change to one of genuine confusion.

"She thinks I am making a move on her?" He spat, literally. There were droplets all over his side of the table

"Now who's the one with terrible manners?" Asuka said as she rolled her eyes. "She doesn't. Reina just complains about your anti-social behaviour all the time."

"Should you really be telling me this?" Mamoru said before realizing that she gave away that information as a distraction. "Wait, the signals."

"Your leading Noriko on," she now had a lyrical tone, clearly enjoying herself.

"What does that even mean?"

"Oh come on, you don't see it?" Asuka playfully chided.

"No, I really don't. I've never met here alone or anything." Mamoru was convinced that Asuka just saw what she wanted to. Her typical way to inject drama into otherwise mundane life.

"Please," Asuka said, dramatically turning her nose up at him. "You go wherever she is."

"We have the same job," Mamoru was exasperated. "It's just a coincidence."

"Oh, really?" she said with a sly smile. "What about your little 'occult research' trip."

Mamoru threw his head back in frustration. Reina had said way too much to her. He had assumed from their conversation with Takeru and Hikari that there were some underlying romantic entanglements in the group. Finding out he was somehow embroiled in it was surprising. Not to mention frustrating.

"The one time I decide to do something on a whim, and people read everything into it." He grumbled.

"You really don't see it?" Asuka was close to scoffing.

"This is what I get for being proactive." Mamoru rested his head on his left hand.

Asuka pushed up her red glasses before giving him a cloying smile. "Butting in on her and Yasushi. Poor boy, having his senpai do that to him" She said, shaking her head.

"Noriko never told me he planned it." Mamoru started. "It explains a lot now that I think about it."

She looked away and sighed. "How can you not notice this kind of thing?"

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Reina knew…" Asuka said with a raised eyebrow.

"She's been hanging out with them for way longer."

"More like you never bothered to get to know any of them very well." She was pouting now, completely unconvinced. Asuka cut him off as he was about to respond. "Before you say anything, just remember that we were in the same school with them."

"They weren't in our class. They're not in our year. Not even any clubs we were in." Mamoru knew he was getting nowhere but still tried to protest.

"You guys have all your Digi-stuff." Her eyes narrowed. "You never talked to any of them at all? In all those years?"

"I talked to Kodai and Reina… kind of."

"So basically," She said, wagging her finger. "Reina was in our school, in our year, and you basically had the same 'after-school club'. But you never bothered to talk to even her."

All Mamoru could do was shrug. "I didn't want to get too involved."

"Well, you are now." Asuka's left cheek was pushed up against the palm it was resting on, giving her an extremely fed-up look. "Who gets into a group and doesn't bother to find out what is happening."

"It's mostly a job, Asuka."

"No excuses. You're still leading Noriko on. Even if you were too obtuse to see or find out."

"I'm not." Mamoru folded his arms. "I didn't know."

"Reina said she joined the student council because of you."

"That's a terrible reason," Mamoru decried. "Who reads into stuff this much or in this way? Would Kaori or Haruka be doing this?"

"Yes, my friends would." Asuka was exceedingly unamused now. "Mamoru, anyone would see this. Except you apparently."

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words he could think up seemed adequate.

"Did you seriously not notice anything? Reina was pretty sure that even you had to know. With or without getting gossip from the group."

"You two talk too much."

"Stop deflecting," Asuka felt that she had won and resumed eating.

"Okay, okay. I was oblivious. I concentrated too much on how to manage the Digimon stuff and university."

There was the smug look of victory on her face. "So…" Her voice had changed back to cloying. "Do you like Noriko?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. What an inane question. "Of course not." He sighed. "Do you think if I am direct that she will finally stop calling me senpai?"

"Mamoru, how did that fact not already clue you in?" Asuka shook her head again.

"I thought she was just like that?"

"Who would just act like that."

"Well… she reminds me a lot of you. So I just—"

"You just assumed nothing was going on." Asuka huffed. "And then you got comfortable."

Mamoru gave her an apologetic smile. "You remember in our second-year when Kaori and Haruka started speculating about—"

"We talked about it." Her brows were now furled.

"I know. Do they still think that?"

"A little bit. I mean, we are meeting for lunch now." Asuka was starting to sound uncharacteristically evasive. It was hard to believe that this issue was still mildly festering after so many years.

"Don't you meet them every other day?"

"… Haruka's my roommate. How do you forget these things?"

"Is that _really_ important information to have?" Mamoru said with some cheek.

"You ever wonder why they are just _my_ friends instead of _our_ friends?" Asuka retorted.

"We tried that. It was exceedingly awkward. Mainly because of them."

"Can you blame them?" She threw her head up, letting her hair spill over the chair. It reminded him of Reina, their hair having the same obsidian colour.

"Not really." Mamoru began to drum his fingers on the table. A sense of melancholy was starting to creep into their conversation. "I guess, Noriko just reminds me a lot of you."

Asuka's face went slightly red at this. "So that means you do—"

"We already tried that." Mamoru sighed. "I still think it's weird to see any of this as flirting or whatever. But I'm not interested in her. You know the reasons."

"Kaori and Haruka don't think that."

"Do you? We would have changed our whole back and forth by now. As fun as this is."

"Well," She flicked her hair back. "I suppose this is just natural now. No matter what anyone else thinks."

With the lull in their conversation, Mamoru returned to his food. He gagged on a spoonful of curry. It had gone completely cold as they were talking. His remaining appetite evaporated as he shuffled his food around in the hopes of getting it to at least a tepid state.

Asuka seemed to interpret his actions as either discomfort or boredom. "So, are you going to tell me about that light over Kyoto last month?"

"Oh, it was actually two Digimon," Mamoru said as he started thinking of a way to explain what had happened.

"Yours and Reina's?"

"No, they were the Digimon partners of two other students from Tokyo."

She stroked her chin thought. "So, this has something to do with the Digimon attack in Tokyo. I bet it's not a coincidence."

As usual, it was not going to be possible to hoodwink Asuka. "We aren't exactly sure what is going on, but the original DigiDestined in Tokyo think that it's not going to stop."

"Are you guys in some kind of organization?" She said with her head tilted.

It did sound like they were taking orders from some centralized leadership. If only it were that structured instead of being just a collection of student volunteers. "Not really, we're just doing what we can."

"Isn't there a government agency supposed to handle this instead of a bunch of students? Those guys, the National Data Processing Bureau made a statement, right?" Asuka said, whipping out her phone to do an internet search.

"We already checked who they were, nothing much came up." He replied, even though it would not dissuade her.

"Well, it says that JAXA just launched a new satellite from Tanegashima for them called the Butterfly III. Why would they need one of those, with such a weird name?"

Before Mamoru could respond, his Digivice buzzed with a new alert. The push notification told him that there was a Digimon appearance at the Heian Shrine at little south of the school. Interestingly, there was now an option for him to view the details of the alert. This but be one of the improvements Yuki made after what happened at Arashiyama.

"Something come up?" Asuka said. She knew that his phone hardly ever received messages unless it was for something important.

"Digimon appeared, I'm looking at the details."

They were now able to identify the number and estimated power level of a Digimon. It still could not account for the evolution virus and how it changed their power level, but it was a remarkable step forward from giving them just a rough location only a few months ago.

"It's a minor one, just a rookie level Digmon." He said out loud. There were a few strange looks from the students at the tables near him who overheard it.

"You guys have really weird terminology," Asuka replied with a giggle.

Mamoru just shrugged and continued to monitor the LINE group. Although what happened at Arashiyama had been disturbing, it seemed to have been a one-off event. Everyone else could Digivolve normally after that. This appearance should be no problem for just one person to handle.

"Is Reina at school today?" Mamoru asked.

"Huh? Why would I know that?" Asuka sounded mildly irritated at this.

"You talk to her? Probably more than me?"

"Mamoru, you're the one that goes on all these adventures with her. Why would you expect me to know it?"

It sounded like she was insinuating something, but Mamoru decided to let it slide. "Nevermind, I think I have her schedule somewhere on my phone."

Reina's class schedule was blank for the day. Mamoru cursed internally; there was no chance she would be on campus today. Another message popped up on his phone. It was Yuki saying that she was heading to the Digimon appearance. The shrine was roughly in-between Kyodai and Kacho Girl's High.

"Reina's not at school today," Mamoru saw her crack a smile at this statement. "but someone else is already heading down to deal with it."

"Okay, so you don't need to go, right?"

"Well…" He started to scratch his head. "The rule is two people minimum to handle an appearance, but it's a really low powered Digimon so one person should be more than enough."

"Isn't that rule there for a reason?" Asuka narrowed her eyes.

"Yes?" He said hesitantly, "but that was before we got the ability to check how strong a Digimon probably is."

"Probably? Really Mamoru, just go and make sure that the other person doesn't get hurt. I am not going to be your way of justifying your reluctance."

"Tanaka Asuka…" He grumbled. Maybe they knew each other too well. "Your right, it's irresponsible to just let Yuki handle this alone."

She narrowed her eyes again at the mention of another girl's name. Mamoru rolled his eyes and waved her off. He stood up and began to put on his parka.

"At least finish your food."

"It's been cold for a while now," Mamoru said, "See you soon. And say hi to Kaori and Haruka for me. It's been a while."

Asuka gave him an exaggerated wink and a thumbs-up as he left the cafeteria. The cold bit into him the moment he walked out of the heated building. It was days like this he regretted wearing not having a scarf. It was not snowing now, but the sky was overcast. There was an occasional gust of wind that dried his eyes out as he walked down Higashioji avenue. Perhaps Asuka was right, he was becoming lax. Mamoru felt embarrassed that he thought about letting Yuki go alone. Even if it was quite a hassle. He wanted to quicken his pace, but the black sleet made it impossible. Yuki had probably reached the shrine already.

He turned left at the Tokunari Bridge and followed the canal away from the Kamo River. As he turned onto Sakuranobaba street, he could see the tall structure of Kyoto Kaikan. The modern concert hall heavily contrasted with the turquoise and red, Meiji-era temple next to it. Mamoru had only been here once before a few months ago. He had accompanied Asuka and her friends on the way to a performance they were watching. It was only recently that he found out they were there to see their juniors in the concert band play.

He received a message from Yuki telling him to go to the eastern temple gardens. She was waiting on a bridge over the pond observing the Digimon that appeared. At least nothing terrible had happened if she was able to wait and see what the Digimon did. Mamoru found the shrine grounds to be empty as he made his way through the central courtyard. The weather had been foul enough to deter most visitors.

Skirting the large pond's edge, he saw the lone figure of Yuki standing in the middle of the Taihei-kaku bridge. Thrashing in the water nearby was an odd orange animal. It appeared to have fur and black spikes protruding from its back. Gomamon was standing next to Yuki, both looking intently at the Digimon, following its every move. She was clad in a salmon-coloured scarf. As he got close, he could see the tan-coloured trench coat she wore was identical to the one Natsuki had. It made her look much more fashion-conscious compared to when she was in just her school uniform.

"How long have you been here?" Mamoru asked as he reached the pavilion at the centre of the bridge.

"Ten minutes?" Yuki said, keeping her eyes fixed on the Digimon paddling around in the water.

"It hasn't done anything since then?"

Yuki shook her head. "I am not sure how to send it back to the digital world without starting a fight. Gizamon are known to be aggressive in the water."

"It's only a rookie Digimon," Mamoru mused. "If we Digivolved and immediately attacked, we could probably knock it out in one blow."

She turned to him, adjusting her glasses by their temple. "That seems a bit excessive." She said flatly.

"When did you wear glasses?"

"I always wore them. It is too dry for contacts." She said without skipping a beat.

Despite her demeanour, it seemed that Yuki was also fairly conscious about her appearance. Whether this was due to influence from Natsuki or what gave them a connection in the first place was difficult to say.

"So, what do you propose we do then?" Mamoru asked. They were now both just standing out in the cold, watching a Digimon merrily paddle around the temple pond.

"I wonder if there is a to lure it to us without fighting."

"Like fishing for it?" It would have been better if Reina had been in school. She would be more robust in coming up with ways to solve this without violence.

"That is one way to put it," Yuki said in her monotonous tone.

Mamoru wondered if this was her way of expressing her disdain without being direct. Unable to come up with any ideas, he brought Hagurumon out of his Digivice to see if he could think up anything.

"I could electrify the water?" Hagurumon said. It was distinctly unproductive to their objective, but it was precisely what Mamoru had come up with a few minutes ago.

"Is that all you and your partner can come up with." Yuki's tone was still incredibly dull, much more than usual. She was definitely irritated.

As they continued to rack their brains, the snowfall began to intensify. It had initially been a light powder, but it was now starting to blanket the ground. The snow covered the dirty sleet with a pure white coating returning the temple to its majestic winter state.

"Umm," A voice called out from behind them. They had concentrated so much on the Gizamon that they did not notice the person walking up to them. Mamoru turned to see a tall man with a white overcoat on top of his winter wear. Was he a researcher? Or maybe a doctor? Immediately, his mind started concocting an explanation for their Digimon.

The man pushed up glasses, phone in hand. A closer look revealed that he was holding a D-4. "Sorry— I got an alert that was a Digimon." He sounded quite nervous for someone who, given his age, was probably far more experienced than them.

"Umm— Where is your partner?" Yuki replied nervously. She had been fine when it was just the Kyoto DigiDestined around. It seemed like she reverted to the state which Mamoru had first met her in.

He nervously laughed. "It's a long story. Maybe the other's have mentioned me? I'm one of the DigiDestined from Tokyo, Kido Jou."

"I am Akiyama Yuki," she said with a bow before gesturing over to him. "This is Sanada Mamoru."

"Are you a doctor?" Mamoru asked.

"Yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess my coat makes it really obvious."

"Kido-san, that means your one of the four who's partner is…"

"Yes," His voice turned stoic. It must have been a difficult thing to bring up. "I was still hoping I could be helpful since I'm in town."

"Kido-san—" Yuki squeaked. "We are trying to— send this Digimon back— without fighting."

Jou brought his hand to his chin as he observed the Gizamon. "I think it's possible. Who are your Digimon partners?"

Hagurumon was already in plain sight, floating next to Mamoru. Gomamon revealed himself from behind Yuki, waving with his front paw.

"Gomamon!" The sudden shout from Jou seemed to have shocked him into retreating behind Yuki. Despite being the more outgoing of the pair Mamoru had met near Furukawacho, Gomamon had the same shy tendencies as Yuki.

"Sorry," Jou blurted out. His expression had changed to what Mamoru could only describe as melancholic. "Gomamon was my partner. Or rather _a_ Gomamon, I guess."

Mamoru wondered what it must be like to see the spitting image of a friend that was long gone.

"Kido-san?" Yuki said, a great deal calmer now. "Are you… alright?"

Jou inhaled a deep breath before perking his shoulders up. "Yes, I will be. Thank you for asking." He said, looking earnestly at them. "I think I know how to solve your problem."

He walked toward the edge of the bridge and looked down into the water. It was slightly murky, making it difficult to see far into the water's depths. Mamoru saw there were a few red and white koi fish swimming near the bridge. It had not become cold enough for them to go into hibernation.

"Gomamon's marching fishes should be able to surround the Gizamon and push him toward us," Jou said after verifying that there were fish in this pond.

"It can be used like that?" Yuki asked. "I thought it was an attack?"

"It's not very effective as an attack actually. In the digital world, we used it for all kinds of things. Mostly to get around water or push our raft."

To Mamoru, this was more proof that the Tokyo DigiDestined were not just beyond them in terms of raw power. They knew so much more about their Digimon's abilities and how to use them. At least they found a solution that did not involve electrifying the pond and killing all the koi fish.

"Will the Gizamon react to the fishes and attack?" Yuki inquired. Her anxiety seemed to be in check. She was probably interested in finding more information about her partner from Jou.

"Gizamon's attack is to roll into a ball and use its fins as a saw blade. If the fishes jostle it from the sides, they won't be hurt. It will probably even make things easier since there is a limited number of directions it can move in."

There was a nod from Yuki, satisfied with the plan. "Gomamon? Are you ready?"

Gomamon raised his paw in a salute before diving into the frigid water. There was the sound of churning as the fishes responded to his request. They were like a swarm of locust, splitting into two groups, flanking the Gizamon. There was a cry of surprise from the Digimon as the fish made contact and began to push it toward the bridge.

Mamoru turned to Yuki, who silently nodded. She bent over the bridge railing, holding out her D-4 towards the on-coming Digimon. It had begun to spin rapidly, turning into an orange blur. Water sprayed into the air as the Gizamon picked up speed. The Digimon almost seemed to skip across the water with its astonishing velocity. Mamoru was beginning worry. They had never attempted to use the gate function on a Digimon mid-attack.

"Kido-san?" Mamoru started.

"It will work, trust Koshiro's design."

As reassuring as Jou's words were, Mamoru still felt something would go wrong. He moved closer towards Yuki, prompting Hagurumon to be on alert. The Gizamon launched from the surface of the pond towards them. Its trajectory was too high to hit them, intending to bring down the bridge's roof instead. Yuki had climbed onto the lower rungs of the guard rail and was on the tip of her toes. She was nowhere near tall enough to intercept the Digimon.

"Hagurumon, Gear Crash!"

The metallic Digimon soared into the air and connected with the Gizamon. Their attacks were equally forceful, sending sparks flying as the two pushed against each other. Hagurumon's electrical current surged, creating a brilliant yellow light. Gizamon's rotation began to slow as Mamoru's partner intensified the electrical barrier around himself.

Yuki leaned back, the two Digimon slightly behind her. She was just in time to catch the falling Gizamon which had finally exhausted its momentum against Hagrumon's electric barrier. The wild Digimon was sucked into her phone before she lost her balance. Mamoru rushed forward and managed to break her fall. He cursed himself for his lack of physical fitness as he buckled under the force.

It was embarrassing, mainly for Mamoru. Yuki was more than a head shorter than him. He should have been able to easily catch her. After colliding with Mamoru, Yuki had succeeded in remaining upright. She staggered away after transferring the energy of the fall to him. Mamoru lay flat on the floor, staring into the ceiling as he contemplated his ineptitude.

"Are you okay?" Yuki said, squatting down next to him.

Mamoru did not look at her. Only raising his hand to wave her away. He just wanted to lay there for a while. From the corner of his vision, he could see Gomamon leap back onto the wooden deck of the bridge and shake himself dry.

"Here," Jou said, his hand outstretched. After a deep breath, Mamoru grabbed it and pulled himself up.

"Not quite what we had hoped for," Mamoru said, "but much better than what normally happens."

Yuki sighed, though she responded to his statement with a nod.

"No need to be so hard on yourselves," Jou said with a smile. "Every time this happens in Tokyo, there is normally quite a bit of damage."

His words felt reassuring, but Mamoru could come up with any number of reasons why that was the case. Tokyo was much more densely populated than Kyoto. From the report he saw on TV, it also seemed like the Digimon that appeared there were much stronger. He suspected that black mechanical dinosaur he had seen on the news was a mega level Digimon. It took four ultimate level Digimon to subdue.

"By the way," Jou started. "since you're not in a school uniform, would you happen to be one of the DigiDestined from Kyoto University?"

"Yes, I am," Mamoru replied. "Koshiro-san must keep all of you very well informed."

"Koshiro?" Jou said with a confused look. "I guess you guys in Kyoto would think he is our leader. He is doing most of the organizing since he has the resources for it. Taichi is the one really calling the shots."

"Taichi?" Yuki repeated softly.

"Maybe you know him as Yagami-san?" Jou's eyes were looking up, trying to recall something. "If not, you'll definitely know him as one of Omnimon's partners."

"I vaguely remember what he looks like." Mamoru said, "Though it was more than ten years ago. The summer where there was a massive hacking incident."

"That's it," Jou nodded before turning to Yuki. "I guess you were probably a bit too young to be aware of it at the time."

"I have only seen videos of the fight."

"During the whole thing, I was actually stuck in cram school. I only found out after it was over." Jou laughed.

Mamoru wondered if he was guilty of that as well. Sitting in class or at home during high school while the others were handling a severe problem. It had probably happened, though not to the same extent as the incident in Tokyo. Until this year, the only time he had abandoned his classes was when he first Digivolved to Wisemon.

"Anyway," Jou continued. "I'm supposed to visit a professor at your university. Could you show me the way there? It would be a big help."

"From the Medicine Faculty? Sorry, I don't really know my way around there. I'm at the Faculty of Letters."

"Perfect," Jou said, clapping his hands together. Mamoru was confused. What other reason would he be visiting a university for? "Do you know Takenouchi-sensei?"

The name sounded familiar. More than just seeing that on the faculty staff list at school. "The anthropology professor? I've heard of him, but I'm not in his course."

"You're still in the same faculty, right? Could you show me to his office? I'm supposed to meet him soon, but my brother forgot to pass me the details."

"Sure, I'm heading back to campus anyway." Mamoru wondered if Asuka had gone to the library. He could catch up on some work after this. "Yuki, you want to come? I'm heading to the library afterwards if you need to get some work done."

"I am not sure. The computer club is expecting me back."

"Is it an official meeting?"

Yuki shook her head.

"Then you might as well see what a university library is like."

"Our project is due in a few weeks…"

"Is that why you can't come for the New Year's Eve shrine visit?"

Yuki shied away before nodding slightly.

"You can work in the library as well," Mamoru said, pointing towards her laptop bag.

This seemed to have convinced her. They began making their way back towards Kyoto University. This time through the east Yoshida neighbourhood. The fresh layer of snow made it cumbersome to walk, but they maintained a steady pace.

"What's the Kacho High computer club doing anyway?" Mamoru asked.

"It was supposed to be a game jam," Yuki said, shyer than usual. "But the other girls wanted to do something more serious. We entered a competition to make virus detection software."

Mamoru was intrigued. It sounded like something beyond the level of high schoolers. Though Kacho Girls High was considered an elite private school in Kyoto. Much harder to gain entry to than municipal schools like Todoh. His own high school had neither a long history, unlike the prestigious public schools, nor a private school's money. Elite schools like Kacho tended to attract these kinds of ambitious students.

"That's quite interesting," Jou said. "It's probably not similar at all, but my medical specialization is in virology. Though I just finished my residency, so I'm really just a beginner."

Jou was exceedingly modest, going to medical school was difficult enough. His ability to continue in such a research-heavy speciality probably meant he had performed incredibly well.

"Kido-san," Mamoru began. He wondered if he should actually be addressing him as sensei since he was a doctor. Since Jou did not seem to mind, he decided not to correct himself. "How come you're meeting someone from my faculty?"

"I guess it is pretty odd." Jou mused. "It's more about Digimon than my regular job."

"Digimon? Why would an anthropology professor be involved with that? He specializes in religion and culture." Mamoru was even more confused. He had expected Digimon research to be done by the computer science faculty.

"Well," Jou began, pausing for quite a while afterwards. It was clearly complicated given the amount of time he spent trying to distil his thoughts. They had entered the main campus and were passing the clock tower.

"I think I'll just let my brother and Takenouchi-sensei explain it. I'm not that great with this stuff myself." He said with an apologetic smile.

They entered the east building of the Faculty of Letters. There was the odd stare at the unusual company with him; a doctor, and a high school girl. Mamoru hoped that no one recognized him. If some rumour filtered back to Asuka, her mind would probably run riot with all the speculative gossip she could concoct. They arrived at the professor's office and knocked on the door.

"Go ahead," a voice said from inside. Jou opened the door, revealing the professor and another man that Mamoru had never seen.

"It's been a while, Takenoichi-sensei," Jou said looking at the man behind the desk. He turned to the other person sitting. "Shuu, you forgot to send me the directions to the office."

"Sorry, Jou," Shuu replied.

"Luckily, I ran into the two DigiDestined who knew their way around."

Mamoru was forced to introduce Yuki since she was too anxious to speak. The professor took out a stack of notes from his desk before joining them.

"Wait, I know you," the professor said. "Your Hayase-sensei's student, right? The one who published recently."

"Yes," Mamoru responded stiffly. "I take his classes on ancient philosophy."

"Ah, I see." The professor smiled. "No wonder you know your way around."

"Takenouchi-sensei," Jou asked, "have you managed to figure anything out about the Four Symbols?"

What did mythology have to do with Digimon?

"We're still in the middle of our research so today will be brief. I suspect that there is a resonance between the sovereigns and their respective seasons. Though I can't prove any of it without more data. That will probably have to wait for spring."

Mamoru contemplated interjecting to ask for a full explanation. But it seemed distinctly rude. They seemed to notice this, likely from the expression on his face that everyone kept telling him he had.

"Ah, my apologies." The professor said. "I think you kids in Kyoto don't know much."

Both Mamoru and Yuki silently nodded at his statement.

"Even though Digimon are related to computer software, they seem to have a supernatural element to them." Noriko would have been on edge if she heard that. "There is a correlation between our mythology and Digimon behaviour. As you might have noticed, there are more Digimon appearances in Kyoto than anywhere else in Japan. We think that it is connected to the concentration of spiritual energy here."

Mamoru started to digest what the professor had told him. Spiritual energy sounded like complete nonsense in the digital age. Though, thinking back to their Digimon encounters. They were overwhelming at shrines or other places in nature. There seemed to always be Torii gates nearby when they were battling Digimon.

The professor seemed to sense his scepticism. "Spiritual energy is just a term I'm using. There is a high correlation between Digimon appearances and religious sites. The whole of Kyoto has been one big spiritual area since the construction of the Imperial Place during the Heian period. While it may not have anything to do with actual kami, the correlation is too strong to just be a coincidence."

"What about the seasons and these sovereigns?" Mamoru asked.

Before professor Takenouchi could reply, Jou stopped him. "Taichi said there is nothing to worry about now. We'll tell you when we are more certain."

Mamoru became irate remembering what Takeru and Hikari had told him. "Does this have anything to do with convergence events? What about the evolution virus?"

It seemed to strike a chord with Jou, causing him to flinch slightly. "We aren't sure yet. All we know is that there will be more of those events."

He was about to press his question before he noticed Yuki turn to him. She had not said anything so far. Yet she mustered the resolve to shake her head in an attempt to dissuade him. Mamoru knew getting more information would be unlikely and decided to let it be instead of potentially souring things.

"I'm sorry," Jou said, recognizing his frustration. "we'll tell you when we figure it out. Taichi is still working on getting permission to release everything."

Permission? Mamoru thought they were just informally organized. Koshiro should have told them he was also working with someone else. For the sound of it, whatever Taichi was involved in was official. Could this be related to the National Data Processing Bureau?

Mamoru excused himself along with Yuki from the meeting. Their presence was probably hindering their discussion, and he was sure there was nothing more he could learn there. What they had already told him was enough for the Kyoto DigiDestined to begin their own research.

"Yuki," Mamoru said as they walked towards the central campus library. "I'll tell the rest about this development; you just focus on your project." He wondered how much time she had sunk into Digimon related stuff behind the scenes. Despite being pressed for time himself, it seemed unfair to make her do even more work.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "Should I ask Koshiro-san?"

Mamoru shook his head. "If it were important, they would have told us. There probably isn't much you can get from him."

As they passed by the library's ground floor windows, he saw someone enthusiastically waving at him. It was Asuka. Mamoru groaned internally, knowing he would have to explain Yuki's presence to her overactive imagination. He saw, seated with her, the familiar faces of Kaori and Haruka. Both their greeting and expressions were much more reserved. Asuka shot him another exaggerated wink, clearly having noticed Yuki's presence.

"Hey…" Mamoru began. "So those are my old high school classmates. We'll probably be studying with them."

Yuki nodded uncertainly. "I guess I will be okay once I plug in my earphones."

"The one with the red glasses, she is basically an older version of Noriko. Just ignore her drama."

Yuki gave him a quizzical look. It was abnormal. An expression Mamoru had never seen her make. Did she also know about this whole fiasco with Noriko? Was he really the only one who had not picked up on it? She managed to compose herself, politely nodding.

"Anyway," Mamoru said, trying to move past the topic. "You should come for the shrine visit if you can. It would make Reina happy, and it would be the first time in a while we've all met up together."

"I will try," Yuki said as they pushed open the library doors.

Mamoru braced himself for another round of Asuka. There was a reason he did not meet her more than once a week most of the time. He wondered how he had survived high school, seeing her every day in class.


	11. Yukikaze 雪風

**Chapter 11: Yukikaze** **雪風**

The winter break came and went too fast for Mamoru's liking. Thankfully, their shrine visit on New Year's Day had happened without incident. It was the happiest he had seen most of the group in a while. Their gathering was everything Arashiyama should have been, at least according to Reina. No Digimon battles, no quarrelling, just a pleasant evening with only light snowfall. It was fortunate that they had scrounged the time to visit on New Year's Day itself. By the third day of the year, Kyoto was encased in deep snow. Heavy snowfall was already rare, but a constant near-blizzard lasting days on end was a once in a century phenomenon. The inclement weather had made walking outside even worse than during typhoon season.

The constant snowy wind buffed Kyoto, unceasing during the day or at night. Mamoru was forced to continually trudge through sleet and snow each day just to get to class. Though it must have been worse for Reina, who had to commute to school. The heavy snowfall had yet to paralyse Kyoto, but it had caused some significant delays. It must have been miserable to spend hours on the train. The wind was continuous, creating a flurry of snow whirling above the city that obscured the sky for days. Yet so little of it ever seemed to fall to earth, creating a continuously dull white and grey midwinter sky.

To Mamoru, this was all incredibly inconvenient; the amount of time it took to go anywhere, the pathetic heating at his dorm. It was only made worse by his own decision to rest the whole of his one-week break. He was now frantically studying for the final exams at the end of the month. There never seemed to be enough time, between dashing to the library for books and finding his way to his reshuffled class venues. The National Centre Test for University Admission was this weekend, and Kyoto University was one of the exam sites. Preparations of the exam venues had occupied most of the lecture halls, pushing many of his classes to obscure wings and annexes. Mamoru thought that he would cease loathing the exam once he finished it. The Centre Test seemed to have come back to haunt him even after he entered university.

It was a wonder that Yasushi and Nagato could still commit to their shrine visit when it was just two weeks away from their major exam. Especially Nagato who was probably the least academically able out of all of them. Perhaps he simply did not care. Mamoru wished he could just stop caring; or even better, that he was actually a genius who could commit to being a DigiDestined and still perform in university. He wanted to ask Reina about her grades, as a point of comparison. Though he decided it was not worth the risk, the potential landmine that it was. Asuka was unhelpful as ever, remaining reticent despite her wellspring of information on everyone.

Mamoru sat in his dorm room, shivering away, pondering how he should continue. The additional portable heater he had bought produced a pitiful amount of warmth. He needed another book from the library but braving the blizzard outside was an intolerable idea. There was also the matter of lunch, which he was reluctant to get for the same reason. Mamoru turned to his shelf of snacks and instant food. It was dwindling, the only substantial thing left was some onigiri he had bought yesterday on a whim. Ever since he had dinner at Reina's house, no other rice balls ever tasted quite as good. Perhaps it was his exhaustion that day which made her food delicious.

A loud sigh left his mouth as he leaned back onto the tatami floor. Impossible, he refused to go out into the snow. If he could continuously feel the cold creeping into his room, he shuddered at the thought of what it felt like outside Mamoru resolved to eating his convenience store food and studying without the commentary for his text. The rice had gone dry, and its fillings were mediocre; a miserable experience. As he was about to start on Book I of Nicomachean Ethics, still gnawing away at his stale onigiri, his Digivice rang. Looking over to the screen, it was a call from Kodai. Mamoru felt immediate irritation, a frown coming to his face. No one their age should be making a phone call.

"What," Mamoru spat.

"Come to Kyoto Tower now!" Kodai yelled over the phone. Mamoru could hear the wind howling in the background.

"What?" He repeated.

"It's an emergency! You weren't answering LINE!"

"What is going on?" Mamoru insisted. Kodai was insane if he thought anyone would go out into a blizzard with no explanation.

"Just get down here!" He hissed. "You can check the news on the way."

With that, Kodai abruptly hung up. Mamoru sighed again; he did say it was an emergency. He still felt hints of bitterness as he donned his parka. Kodai's commanding presence had veered into being domineering. Was he unable to just explain himself for a few seconds?

It was a struggle to open the building's front door, the wind pushing back against him. His foot skidded on the pavement, forcing him to slow his pace. The snow had been melting and refreezing for days, creating a layer of ice on the paths surrounding his dorm. The breeze was picking up again, biting into Mamoru's exposed neck. He really wanted his scarf back from Asuka, though it was now years too late to ask. Mamoru was just in time for the bus, though it moved at a plodding pace. Snow was steadily building upon the road, and visibility had dropped to almost nothing. Only the lack of passengers boarding and alighting the bus prevented his journey from slowing to a crawl.

Mamoru unlocked his Digivice to find out what Kodai had been yelling about. All the news outlets in Kyoto were running the story of a massive flurry that had engulfed the Kyoto Tower. The videos footage from buildings nearby showed the white and red tower having completely disappeared. In its place along the downtown skyline was a swirling spherical vortex of ice and snow. Mamoru narrowed his eyes as he made a closer observation. The wind was moving so unnaturally that it had to be manipulated, probably by some Digimon given Kodai's call. He immediately switched to LINE to see the previous messages from the group. Everyone had responded before Kodai had called him and were rushing to central Kyoto. It seemed he would still be one of the first to arrive since most people were coming from the edges of the city.

The Shichijo Bridge was jammed with vehicles attempting to cross, utterly deadlocked. Mamoru felt a sense of dread build in his as the bus he was on uneasily stood still. As they inched closer towards the significant downtown intersections, he began to squirm in his seat. There was no time, he would just brave the cold. To his frustration, the bus driver refused to let him alight in-between stops. Mamoru had to contain himself from exploding. He had to remind himself that it was impossible to articulate the urgency of his situation.

Left with little other option, he forced opened the emergency door release and dashed into the cold. He ran down Karasuma street, struggling to prevent himself from slipping on all the sleet. The entire area had been brought to a standstill in a complete whiteout. He started to lose feeling in his exposed skin as the cold gust hammered away at his person. The wind seemed to howl, almost cackling at him as he approached the scramble crossing in front of Kyoto Central Station and the Tower.

The final steps to reach the crossing felt like he was piercing a veil. The air around him thickened as he attempted to force his way through, buffeting him with snow. Even breathing became difficult with the violent gust around him, ripping air away from his lungs. Arms braced over his face, Mamoru managed to break through, finding the air at the Shiokoji scramble crossing much calmer.

"Mamoru!" Kodai's voice rang out across the deserted street. He gestured frantically for Mamoru to take shelter in the hotel mall below the tower. As he ran in, Kodai promptly shut the glass doors behind him, cutting off the howling wind.

"Where are all the cars?" Mamoru asked. The intersection was completely empty, an abrupt change from a massive gridlock just a few hundred meters north of them.

"There was an announcement to stay indoors and avoid downtown Kyoto," Kodai replied. He was rubbing his hands together to warm them up.

As Mamoru felt the warmth of the building's heating, the feeling in his extremities began to return to him. Only a few people were standing around or seated at the nearby coffee shop. It was a ghost town for a Friday afternoon. Sitting near an electrical outlet were Yuki and Natsuki, the younger girl typing furiously on her computer. Despite being indoors, both of them were still bundled up in their identical brown trench coats.

"So," Mamoru began, "A Digimon is causing all this."

"It's at the top of Kyoto Tower," Kodai replied curtly.

"What are we waiting for?" Mamoru said, taking out his Digivice. "The two of us should be able to stop it."

"The elevator is completely out," Natsuki said, heading off Kodai's response. "Yuki has been trying to get it working."

Yuki continued where Natsuki had left off almost immediately. "It is a mechanical failure, probably from the extreme cold. I cannot do anything from my computer."

Mamoru traced the wires from her laptop to see that she had an ethernet cable connected to the wall outlet as well. "Is the whole building wired up or something?"

Yuki continued to work away at her computer. Without turning to look at Mamoru, she lifted her free hand and pointed toward a plaque near the entrance he had come from.

"Izumi Corporation" Mamoru muttered.

"They were the contractor for the recent renovations. The entire building has an integrated computer network. I asked Koshiro-san for administrator access."

It seemed excessive to have a computer network for an entire building, even if they did create a digital system for the observation deck.

"So, we can't go up, but the Digimon doesn't appear to be going anywhere either." Mamoru mused. "Is Kyoto at risk of being engulfed?"

"Maybe if this continued for a few more days," Yuki said. "but we have a more pressing issue."

Mamoru tilted his head to the side, thinking of the possible problems. The weather outside was getting so severe that it was impossible to believe that it was not immediately dangerous. The snow was building up at an alarming rate, reaching slightly above his ankles. Yet, it seemed that it was nowhere near as bad further out in Kyoto where the snow seemed to melt before it became unmanageable. The Digimon causing this had a limited area of influence.

Before Mamoru could arrive at a conclusion, Kodai spoke up. "If we can't get up, no one can come down either."

"What about the emergency exits?" Mamoru immediately retorted. While he was reluctant to climb a hundred-meter tower, surely people would have been willing to descend for their safety.

"I think they are frozen shut," Yuki said, still somehow nonchalant despite Mamoru's rising level of alarm the more information he received. "The computer system's remote release failed to work."

"If it's cold enough to freeze the door mechanism…" Mamoru said as he processed the full magnitude of the situation.

"It's very far below sub-zero up there," Kodai said, finishing his thought.

"Shit!" Mamoru exclaimed. Any lingering irritation he had at being dragged out into the cold had disappeared. "We have to do something, right now."

He raised his Digivice, bringing Hagurumon out. There were looks of shock and confusion from the few other people in the mall, but no one took any action.

"I'm still thinking of a plan," Kodai said, "Your Digimon can fly right?"

"Wisemon can," There was still a tinge of reluctance as he said that. It was a desperate situation, but he hoped to somehow resolve it without Digivolving to ultimate level. He remembered the toll it had taken on him last year. Mamoru could ill afford that with his exams less than a week away.

"I think GrapLeomon should be able to scale the tower," As Kodai said that, he raised his Digivice bringing out Bearmon.

"How do you plan to even reach the base of the tower?" Mamoru asked.

Natsuki chimed in before anyone else could reply. "We still have access to the hotel roof." She was still cheery, even in this bleak situation. "The others are almost here too."

Through the glass door, Mamoru could see the remaining four DigiDestined trudge through the snow towards them. It was a miracle that the Nara Line was still operational enough to bring them here from Uji. Only Noriko was in her brown sailor-fuku school uniform, the two third-years had no classes before their exams.

"Sorry for the delay," Nagato said. "I got to the station earlier, but I waited for the rest of them."

Noriko shook off the snow on her as soon as she entered the building. "My legs are freezing." She said miserably.

Mamoru could not imagine wearing a skirt in this kind of weather. Though Yuki and Natsuki seemed fine with their leggings. He was just thankful that he had at least two layers all over his body. Reina and Yasushi immediately brought out their Digimon at the sight of Hagurumon and Bearmon playing nearby. Their Digimon were child-like as ever.

"How serious is it?" Yasushi asked as he cleaned his glasses.

"There are over a hundred people trapped on the observation deck." Yuki announced, still not turning to look at anyone. "the sensors that are still working read that it is reaching below minus twenty degrees Celsius."

"They'll freeze to death," Reina said, her voice quavering slightly. It never got that cold in Kyoto. No one would have winter clothes for temperature that extreme.

"Hotel roof, now," Mamoru said. He was struggling to suppress his frantic urge to do something immediately.

"Hold on," Kodai said, still entirely composed. "Yuki, is there anything more you can do?"

"Not with my computer," she said, promptly closing her laptop. "Most of the system has been physically disabled by the cold."

Kodai nodded and proceeded to stand on a chair in the café, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone," His voice easily overpowered the howling wind outside. "Please remain indoors, the temperature is dropping rapidly. Prevent anyone from leaving the building for their own safety."

Something was reassuring about his words. More so in the way he conveyed them. The various patrons and the people waiting in the corridor seemed to concur with what he said. Kodai, in his thick leather bomber jacket for winter, appeared much older than he was. Mamoru wondered if they would be so calm knowing that he was just nineteen.

As the DigiDestined moved off, some of the onlookers seemed to have picked up that they were much younger than they initially seemed. They gave Noriko, Natsuki and Yuki confused looks as they brought out their Digimon partners. They must have noticed that they were high schoolers from the bits of their uniform that were not covered by their coats or jackets. Yet no one stopped them, either too polite or confused to do anything despite being adults.

It was an arduous climb through the maintenance stairwell to reach the building roof on the ninth floor. This was the most flights of stairs Mamoru had seen in his life, Kyoto having few buildings this tall. He was stuck behind Nagato, carrying a long rectangular bag over his shoulder that kept knocking into him.

"What are you carrying?" Mamoru sighed, fed up with being jabbed.

"It's my bokken." Nagato grabbed the bottom end of the bag to control it swaying.

"You still have Kendo?" It was literally one day before their exam. Mamoru could not imagine that he would still be doing anything related to school clubs now.

"Nope," Nagato said casually, "I brought it from home. I thought it might be useful."

The cold air slammed into them as they opened the roof access door. It was nowhere near as strong as typhoon winds, but it still made it slightly difficult to breathe. The snow on the roof reached above their keens. It was still manageable for the guys as well as Reina and Noriko who were above average height. Yuki, on the other hand, struggled, being a full head shorter than Mamoru. The snow went up to her thighs, forcing her to literally wade through it.

As they reached the centre of the roof, they looked up to see that the tower's observation deck was still obscured. Looking off the rooftop, they could see a wall of snow being stirred up by the wind, blocking the rest of the city from their vision. There were two spheres, one encasing the entire building and the surrounding roads and another just around the observation deck.

A sense of dread came over Mamoru, what would happen if this Digimon was mega level? It certainly seemed as powerful as what Mamoru had seen attack Tokyo. If it took four experienced ultimate level Digimon to subdue it, what hope did they have? Even without the inclement weather impeding them. They continued to stare upwards, hoping to get a glimpse of their foe through the flurry.

Their body heat began to melt some of the snow around them, drenching their legs. "I think I've read about this," Yasushi murmured. Everyone turned to him, hoping for some insight into their situation.

"The Battle of Weihaiwei," he mused. "It snowed so fiercely that it inspired Nagai Kenshi to compose Yuki no Shingun."

Noriko promptly smacked him on the back of his head. "Really? Talking about a Snow March? Of course a member of the History Club would give out such useless information."

"What…" Yasushi muttered. "It's the one hundred and twentieth anniversary of the battle."

"Unless you know something that will finish this now or prevent us from freezing to death, please shut up." Noriko said miserably.

Turning to Yuki and Natsuki, they seemed to be the worst off. They were shivering away, standing almost waist-deep in snow as it continued to pile up.

Nagato grunted at Yasushi before taking out his Digivice. "I have an idea."

Kotemon glowed bright yellow, Digivolving into Musyamon. The Digimon ignited its nodaichi with a ghostly blue flame. Mamoru could immediately feel the intense heat radiating from the sword. The snow around them quickly melted, soaking through their pants and leggings.

Yasushi glared back before turning to Tapirmon. Not wanting to be outdone by his rival, the newly Digivolved Sorcermon began to draw in the moisture from the freshly melted snow. It coalesced into a ball on the tip of his staff. In the same maneuverer he had used at Amagase, Sorcermon fired the water bullet heavenwards. The ball of water exploded as it contacted the sphere of snow, scattering small ice crystals in all directions.

The snowy wind obscuring the observation deck began to dissipate. While they could now see the red metal lattice at the top of Kyoto Tower, there was still wisps of snow carried by the gust revolving around it. Perched atop the spire was a winged humanoid figure, completely white. It was difficult to make out details standing at the tower's base, though it was clear that the Digimon had horns and was partially clad in some sort of leather.

"Yuki," Mamoru prompted, turning around to look at her.

She was already on her Digivice, scrolling through information. "It is hard to be certain, but I think that is an IceDevimon."

"It's only a champion level Digimon?" Noriko exclaimed. "This is insane, the whole of Kyoto is being blanketed."

"Whatever it is," Kodai began, taking control of the situation. "We can't afford to hold back."

Everyone nodded in agreement, Digivolving their partners in response. Mamoru was still reluctant to Digivolve to ultimate, but it seemed necessary. That champion level Digimon appeared incredibly strong. Besides the two magician Digimon, Wisemon was the only other one who could fly.

"Kodai, how exactly are you planning to get GrapLeomon up there?" Mamoru asked.

"Yuki showed me the blueprints for the tower before you got here." Mamoru already hated the way this was going. "The exterior is just sheet metal over a frame that is like the Tokyo Tower. GrapLeomon is just going to punch through the metal and use the frame as handholds."

Mamoru opened his mouth but could not find the words to respond with. It was probably a sound plan since they had examined the structural schematics. Yet it seemed incredibly excessive to punch dozens of holes in Kyoto Tower.

"That's going to cost a lot of money." It was Natsuki who responded. Not quite what Mamoru was concerned about but at least someone else thought the plan had issues.

Kodai merely shrugged. He was confident that there was no better alternative. Mamoru knew that the three of their Digimon that could fly might not be enough to defeat IceDevimon.

"Senpai, you ready?" Noriko's arms were raised in a boxing position, feet shoulder-width apart, her eyes staring directly at their foe. Sorcermon and Wizardmon were floating behind her. They looked poised to take flight, waiting only on Wisemon.

"Mamoru, we'll catch up," Reina said as Gatomon leapt off her shoulder, running on all fours towards the tower base. "The three of you should get up there as soon as possible."

Mamoru nodded and turned back to Noriko. She gave him a cheesy thumbs up as the two magician Digimon rocketed into the air. Wisemon followed shortly after, his two golden wings fully extended. The three Digimon flew in a triangular formation as they skimmed the tower surface on their ascent, their cloaks billowing in the wind. Below them, GrapLeomon and Gatomon had begun to scale the side of the tower, smashing through the sheet metal as they went.

Natsuki's partner, Floramon, had Digivolved into Kiwimon. It was a flightless bird with brown fur instead of feathers. Despite changing from a plant to a bird type Digimon, Kiwimon retained a vibrant mane made of leaves. While highly mobile, owing to powerful legs, Natsuki's partner was clearly unable to climb a vertical surface like the tower. Similarly, Ikkaumon and Musyamon were stuck at the base of the tower.

The ice devil perched atop the tower leaned forward, body stiff as a board, before falling away toward the oncoming Digimon trio. IceDevimon unfurled its wings, sending a wave of cold air downwards and coming to a stop mid-air in front of the observation deck. In the lead, Wisemon easily evaded the attack as they continued rapidly ascending. The wild Digimon let loose a howl that pierced through the wind. Mamoru saw Reina flinch as the cry resounded around the building. It sounded eerily like what they had heard that day at Kiyomizu-dera.

The snow around them seemed to fall upwards, slowly being sucked in by the gust being generated around IceDevimon. A sphere of fast rotating ice crystals formed around the devil again. Sorcermon reacted immediately attempting to counter using his own magic to absorb the ice into another Drowning Aquarius. The sheer volume made it a struggle for the magician Digimon to control. Wisemon took advantage of the break in the flurry made by Sorcermon to fire a lightning bolt at the IceDevimon. The wild Digimon dived away, dragging the snowy gale with him. Wisemon's attack grazed the red metal cage around the observation deck, melting some of the steel. Mamoru winced at the sight of the botched attack; they would have to be cautious fighting around the tower.

Wizardmon let loose a volley of fireballs at the fleeing Digimon. They appeared as faint red orbs as they travelled through the sky, obscured by the amount of snow being kicked up in the air. IceDevimon banked left and upwards, avoiding the spray of fireballs. Noriko let out a yelp as her partner's stray attacks closed in on the building roof. As Kiwimon sprang into action, the only one close enough to do anything, they mercifully detonated in mid-air. A few months ago, they probably would have caused a massive amount of collateral damage. Not only had their Digimon's coordination improved, but their ability to fight without direct commands had developed. Even if they were in closer proximity to their partners, there would not be enough time to verbally relay them an instruction like that. Though he was still unsure if their improvements would be enough to defeat this Digimon.

The IceDevimon continued to perform aerial acrobatics, eluding the pursuing Digimon. Sorcermon was right on its tail, staff extended in front of him. Each time they lined up, the magician would release a hail of ice shards in an attempt to shoot down his foe. Thankfully, the ice shards seem to just disappear into the flurry instead of causing any additional damage. While Wizardmon was mostly able to keep up with his white and blue counterpart, Wisemon was falling behind their breakneck manoeuvres. The two champion level Digimon clearly had much more experience flying that Mamoru's partner who rarely Digivolved beyond the land-bound Clockmon. The gap in experience eventually became too much for Wisemon, and the IceDevimon managed to loop back behind on his tail. The aerial battle became strung out, with Wisemon in the lead trying to shake off IceDevimon who was being shot at by the two wizard Digimon further behind.

"This is so cool," Yasushi said, his gaze whipping back and forth as he followed the Digimon. "It's like watching a real dogfight."

"Dogfight?" Noriko exclaimed, scowling at Yasushi. While Mamoru could see why their battle was quite a spectacle, perhaps it was not the best idea to say it aloud.

"It's nothing about animals fighting each other." He said backtracking, only now realising his words could be misinterpreted easily. "It's when fighter planes battle in the sky. Like in those World War Two movies."

"I hate the history club." Noriko sighed.

Mamoru was more worried about Wisemon who was unable to elude IceDevimon. Every so often the wild Digimon would fire a blast of ice shards from its wings, only narrowly missing his partner. Despite having the numerical advantage, only Sorcermon was launching attacks consistently, with Wizard occasionally finding the opening to cast a fireball. Ikkaumon and Kiwimon had ranged attacks as well, but it was too risky to fire them off from the ground. Both friendly fire and collateral damage were a constant worry, limiting their openings.

"Sanada-san," Yuki said, her eyes fixated on her Digivice. "We have to hurry. The temperature is reaching close to minus forty on the observation deck."

Mamoru's eyes widened at her statement. That kind of cold would be extreme even for Hokkaido. "Kodai, can you do something?"

GrapLeomon and Gatomon were two-thirds of the way up the tower and continuing to progress fast. They left in their wake a trail of holes throughout the structure. The smaller cat Digimon seemed to have gotten the hang of climbing and was racing ahead.

"We could smash the windows." Kodai offered. "Gatomon is small enough to get inside and force open the emergency doors."

"I doubt anyone can move up there." Mamoru countered.

They had been trapped there for almost two hours now with the temperature steadily dropping. Even if they were huddled together in the interior of the observation deck, it seemed unlikely they could muster any more strength to get out of the tower. Shattering the windows would just expose them to the gale force winds outside.

"We have to do something." Kodai shot back. There was no progress with the dogfight, seeming to have reached a stalemate with neither party able to shoot down each other.

"How heavy is Gatomon?" Noriko asked.

"Not very?" Reina had a confused expression. "She can still rest on my shoulder pretty comfortably."

"Senpai, can you lure the IceDevimon closer to the tower? It will give Gatomon and opening."

"Gatomon doesn't have a ranged attack" Mamoru replied. Did she intend to involve that Digimon in aerial combat as well?

"Our Digimon can probably catch and carry Gatomon," Noriko said with a grin.

"You've got to be kidding," Mamoru instinctively responded. They were having a hard enough time fighting the IceDevimon as it is. Passengers would just make it worse.

"We have to try something," Noriko pouted.

Mamoru let out another sigh, far too many for one day. What choice did they have?

He signalled for Wisemon to climb toward the tower again, their dogfight having spilt over to the surrounding buildings' airspace. Wisemon skimmed the surface of the tower, flying right under Gatomon and GrapLeomon, IceDevimon close behind. As the wild Digimon neared the tower, Reina's partner seemed to grasp the plan they were going for and leapt into the air. Her lightning paw barely the grazed the ice devil as it took evasive action at the last moment. Wizardmon broke off from his pursuit and dove, catching Gatomon in his arms. The cat Digimon jumped back onto the tower as he returned to chasing IceDevimon.

While not as successful as any of them had hoped for, it had disrupted the wild Digimon enough to change its pattern. Halting in mid-air, it again summoned a flurry around itself. Before Sorcermon could blast a hole in its defensive shield again, IceDevimon let loose large shards of ice in all directions.

"Wizardmon!" Noriko yelled. Her partner darted in front of the observation deck and fired off his attacks, just in time to destroy the oncoming ice shards. IceDevimon's onslaught was far from over, the enormous icicles now raining down on the DigiDestined.

"Ikkakumon, intercept them," Yuki instructed; her voice raised but still remarkably calm. Mamoru found it hard to believe this was her disposition even in the heat of battle.

Ikkakumon's horn rocketed skyward towards the threat. The black casing broke away as it gained altitude, revealing a green missile that homed onto the falling ice shards. Yuki's partner began to rapidly fire his Harpoon Vulcan attack, but there were too many incoming projectiles.

"Kiwimon," Natsuki cried. "Pummel Pecker." Kiwimon launched a stream of projectiles that looked like miniaturised versions of herself. Many of them missed their mark, but their sheer number made up for that, destroying more of the oncoming icicles.

The fearsome barrage they put up succeeded in destroying most of IceDevimon's projectiles, but one of them inevitably broke through. The group braced themselves for the impact as Ikakkumon moved in front to shield them with his body.

"We're not just a damn snow melter!" Nagato yelled out.

Mamoru looked up to see Muysamon cleave the ice shard clean in two with his blade, the remnants flying harmlessly past them. Nagato looked as though he could explode. Mamoru had not been keeping an eye on him, fixated with the battle raging above them. Looking at him now, Nagato must have been infuriated as his inability to contribute to the fight. His partner was not agile enough to scale the tower and had no range attacks.

There was still a constant barrage of ice at the observation deck, keeping their Digimon occupied defending it.

"Why the hell is it so strong?" Noriko was exasperated. Wizardmon was shooting down the brunt of the attacks, his meteor squall being the most effective ability among the three Digimon for the job.

"I bet it has the evolution virus," Yasushi said.

"I don't think it is just that," Natsuki interjected, surprising most of them. Like Yuki, she was usually more reticent. Perhaps she was getting more comfortable with all of them. Or maybe it was just Mamoru presence that was unknown to her before Arashiyama.

"Even including that," Kodai replied. "it is way too strong to just be a champion level."

"Ikebana," Natsuki muttered. Everyone's expression turned to confusion. Even Yuki, who was probably the most analytical of them appeared puzzled by her best friend's statement.

"Remember Arashiyama?" Natsuki continued, turning to Mamoru and Noriko.

"What about it?" Noriko responded.

"That SnowAgumon, it was really strong too," Natsuki said, nervously turning to look at Kodai. She was starting to hesitate. Mamoru guessed it was probably due to Kodai's imposing presence. He probably did not intentionally do it, but his statement likely undermined her confidence.

"Go on," Mamoru said, trying to encourage her. "more theories are better than less."

"It's like seasonal flower arrangements," Natsuki replied, seemingly on a tangent. "Even if you can get flowers out of season nowadays, they're not nearly as impactful in an arrangement."

"Okay?" Mamoru said hesitantly. He was still unable to see the link. Looking to Yuki for insight, she had a blank expression that indicated she was attempting to process the information. Not even she could decipher this.

Natsuki looked extremely flustered, so caught up in trying to get her point across that she had not bothered to shake off the snow building up on her.

"Agumon's fire attacks were effective at destroying the ice." She continued.

Mamoru looked around to see if anyone else had some inkling of what she was trying to say. Noriko retained her puzzled look, though Yuki's expression had subtly changed.

"Digimon still follow natural logic," Yuki said, causing Natsuki to smile in relief.

"Natural logic? Like formal logic?" Mamoru replied, unable to fully understand.

"Not your philosophy stuff." It was now Reina who interjected, seeming to have grasped the idea as well.

"What Natsuki is trying to say," Yuki said, stepping forward. "IceDevimon is likely much stronger because it is winter."

It clicked for Mamoru. He could not believe how dense he had been. Digimon still interacted with the natural world on a fairly intuitive level. They had all seen it at before at Amagase and at Arashiyama. A fire attack could easily melt ice and water could be manipulated despite its different states. The IceDevimon had access to so much snow, and the low temperature made it easy to form ice. It would likely have been an easy opponent to beat in the heat of summer.

"So what do we do about it?" Nagato asked impatiently. "We know why it's strong, but we can't do anything about it."

Before Mamoru could respond, their Digivices started to buzz. Whatever the new notification was, it was terrible timing.

"Digimon appearances, right on top of us," Yuki said as she scrolled on her Digivice.

Mamoru could see figures start to emerge from the blizzard obscuring the other end of the roof. There were both humanoid and quadrupedal figures emerging from the snow. Nearly a dozen of them were approaching.

"You got to be shitting me," Yasushi said.

Mamoru had to concur.


	12. Yūnagi 夕凪

**Chapter 12: Yūnagi** **夕凪**

The figures slowly shuffled through the blizzard towards the DigiDestined. They were steadily becoming recognisable as the snowy wind between them thinned. To Mamoru's relief, it was immediately apparent what kind of Digimon the quadrupeds were with their orange fur and black spine blades. The Gizamon made up just over half of the dozen wild Digimon advancing toward them. At least they were just rookie level, giving them hope of fighting them all off.

"Yuki," Kodai called out, "can you identify the humanoid Digimon?" They were much harder to see, lacking any distinct features while seeming to meld into the snow at times.

She inched forward, remaining behind Kodai and Nagato. Holding her glasses by their temple, Yuki pushed the lens closer to her eyes, attempting to get a better look.

"I cannot see them well enough." There was a hint of remorse in her otherwise stoic voice. Yuki stepped back, looking up into the air. She was in thought, not paying any attention to the battle above them.

The IceDevimon continued to generate a tempest around itself, concentrating most of the icy projectiles at the observation deck. Wizardmon was desperately fending off the attacks, blasting them out of the sky using his Meteor Squall. The two other airborne Digimon assisted him with their own attacks, though they were much less effective at intercepting the projectiles. It seemed Sorcermon had reached the same conclusion, his Crystal Barrage unable to measure up against the giant shards of ice being flung at them. The magician began to syphon off the snow gathering around IceDevimon with his staff. Though successful at reducing the rate it could throw out ice shards, he lacked the power to bring it to heel.

"Sanada-san, Kodai-san," Yuki said. She had come up with something. "you have better eyesight. Can you see if the humanoid Digimon have red buttons on their chest?"

Staring far into the snow at her strange request, it was difficult to make out that kind of detail despite the wild Digimon having closed in further.

"Kodai, can you see anything?" Mamoru said, feeling his eyes dry out in the wind.

"It's like they are fading in and out," Kodai rubbed his eyes, feeling the same sting he did.

Yuki seemed to ponder their statement for a moment before responding. "just focus on the centre of their figure."

Mamoru strained his eyes, attempting to pierce the veil of snow between them and the wild Digimon. Their advance was sluggish, perhaps caused by their recent appearance from the digital world. It was faint, but he could see what appeared to be two red orbs in the distance. They were vertically aligned at around chest height, gently bobbing around as they drew closer.

"I see them," Kodai had beaten him to the punch. "definitely two red circles on the humanoid Digimon."

"They are Frigimon," Yuki responded immediately. There was not a hint of doubt in her voice. "they look like snowmen, which explain why they are difficult to see in this weather."

This presented a new problem since five of the approaching Digimon were champion level. They were vastly outnumbered on the ground, not including IceDevimon who alone had been able to handle all of them at once. Mamoru began rapidly considering the possibilities available to them.

"Kodai, can GrapLeomon get down here now?" Mamoru had concluded he was the only Digimon not in a position to contribute to the new dynamics of the fight.

Kodai gritted his teeth, making his jawline extremely prominent. "If I hadn't Digivolved to ultimate, Leomon would still have a ranged attack he could use."

While it would have been possible to realise this limitation beforehand, it was also incredibly easy to overlook. GrapLeomon was undoubtedly stronger than his champion form but even less suited to aerial combat without his Juouken. Kodai's partner still clung to the tower's frame, looking poised to intervene as soon as the opportunity arose.

"Kodai," Mamoru called out again.

"I don't think so," he finally answered, exiting his brief state of frustration. "not anytime soon at least. Unless we completely reck the tower on the way down."

"We'll hold them off," Nagato said as he unravelled the string holding his bag shut. "Just take down IceDevimon before this gets out of control."

The kendoka drew his hazel-coloured bokken from the bag, its vanished surface gleaming as he raised it over his head. As insane as it seemed, Mamoru had to be impressed at Nagato's guts. He was going to fight the Digimon himself if he had to.

"Woah!" Natsuki exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the bokken. "is that real Biwa wood?" It was strange that she knew anything about kendo. Though perhaps she was able to recognise the wood from her Ikebana experience.

"Yes," Nagato replied, keeping his gaze fixed at the Digimon shuffling toward them.

"But that cost over a hundred thousand yen," Natsuki said, awestruck by the price.

Nagato shrugged. "They're about to find out why it's expensive."

Mamoru thought it had better be a superb weapon given its astounding cost. Nagato never struck him as conspicuously wealthy, unlike Natsuki. Though, going to a private school like Rakusei meant that he was probably well off enough to afford it. The man must be undyingly dedicated to his kendo to have spent this much on equipment.

The Digimon began to quicken their pace, cutting through the snow toward them. Above them, Sorcermon seemed to be successfully checking the amount of ice generated by the tempest. Ikkaumon and Kiwimon readied themselves to launch their attacks at the oncoming wild Digimon. Nagato stood with an impeccable stance at the front of their group, bokken raised high, ready to strike. Musyamon was in complete harmony with his partner, mimicking his posture with his giant blade.

Nagato took a full breath, preparing to release it all at once. "Attack!" The samurai pair surged forward, the snow in their path melting from the flames around the nodachi.

Yuki with an icy calm pushed her glasses up. The ends of her salmon coloured scarf billowed in the wind as she gave a nod to Ikkakumon. Immediately, her partner began launching missiles at the oncoming Digimon, targeting the champion level Frigimon. Natsuki looked much less sure of herself, turning towards Kodai's direction before quickly pivoting back to the oncoming threat. She sounded shrill giving her command for Kiwimon to attack, her Digimon letting lose a Pummel Pecker barrage.

The Frigimon ceased their advance at the sight of the attacks hurling toward them. Forming a line abreast, they curled their right arm and raised them parallel to their chest. As the black casing of Ikkakumon's missiles broke away, the snowmen shot their arms forward. A blast of blue energy erupted from their five fists, intercepting the missiles. Kiwimon's Pummel Pecker was more effective, having too many projectiles to shoot down. Some of the Frigimon stumbled as they were hit by the attacks, but they were nowhere near powerful enough to stop them.

The Gizamon leapt forward, undeterred by the barrage. One of the amphibian Digimon was struck out of the air by Musyamon's nodachi the moment it got in range. Immediately reversing his blade, the samurai made an upward strike taking out another Gizamon. Before he could recover, more the rookie level Digimon latched on to Musyamon's armour, dragging him down.

"Nagato!" Kodai called out, rushing forward.

Mamoru lifted his hand, but he had already sprinted out of reach. The two remaining Gizamon had adopted a prowling stance, sizing up Nagato. His partner continued to struggle, immobilised by the three Digimon clawing on his armour. The other Gizamon on the ground appeared to be completely incapacitated by a single strike from Musyamon. The samurai had incredible strength but was too cumbersome for his own good. Mamoru hoped Nagato was just as strong as his partner.

One of the Gizamon pounced, soaring through the air toward Nagato. The kendoka turned his body perpendicular to the attacking Digimon and readied his bokken. There was a sharp crack as the laminated wood soared through the snowy air. The Gizamon was sent reeling from the strike. This was the first time Mamoru had ever seen anyone physically attack a Digimon. All of them knew it could be done, but to actually see it was watching madness unfold.

Nagato had placed all his strength into that one strike, leaving him off balance as he tried to recover his balance. It seemed to have paid off, successfully dispatching that Gizamon, though he was left open. The other Digimon lunged forward, claws raised to lacerate him. Kodai charged forward, striking the Gizamon with his bare fist. Its attack disrupted, the wild Digimon attempted to scurry away before promptly being knocked out by Nagato. Standing with his bokken resting on his shoulder, the only thing missing from the bancho look was his gakuran uniform. Kodai stood beside him with a posture just as intimidating. His leather bomber jacket had become undone and was fluttering in the snowy wind.

A loud, almost draconic growl erupted from Musyamon as the wild Digimon continued to claw at his armour. The samurai thrust himself upward from a kneeling position, throwing the Gizamon off and sending them fleeing. The battle above them continued in a deadlock with Gatomon and GrapLeomon still unable to intervene. The cat Digimon was now perched atop the metal cage surrounding the observation deck, securing a vantage point above her opponent.

The Frigimon had resumed their advance, no longer dissuaded by the barrage of attacks coming from Yuki and Natsuki's partners. Every few paces, they would stop to fire off another blast from their fist before continuing forward. Ikkakumon and Kiwimon could not maintain the rate of their attacks, and it gradually whittled down to intermittent volleys.

"Marching Fire," Yasushi mumbled, still completing his thoughts.

"Would you stop with the useless facts," Noriko sighed. She was concentrating on the battle above them, steadily showing more signs of fatigue.

"It's not useless." Yasushi shot back.

"Then why don't you do something? It's not like your fighting the Digimon."

Yasushi grasped his temple, trying to collect himself. Was he feeling inadequate after Nagato and Kodai rushed into the fray?

"Natsuki-chan, Yuki!" Yasushi had decided to just ignore Noriko. "Stop attacking."

Both girls turned to him with a look of confusion. Their attacks seemed to be the only thing that stopped the Frigimon from ploughing into them.

"Ikkakumon and Kiwimon will exhaust themselves before the Frigimon. After that, they'll just pummel us with their ice blast."

The Frigimon had not deviated from their earlier pattern, alternating between advancing and firing. Their sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm the two Digimon who could not hope to match their firepower for long. How Yasushi had recognised this was a mystery to Mamoru. He seemed able to keep his attention split between his own partner's efforts and what was happening on the ground.

"Then what do we do?" Natsuki cried.

Their three Digimon would have a difficult time fighting five opponents. Especially since the Frigimon appeared to have a significant power boost due to the weather and IceDevimon's presence.

"Charge!" Yasushi yelled back.

There was a scoff from Noriko who clearly thought it was folly. Natsuki and Yuki look clearly undecided, the former's panicked expression completely contrasted by the latter's complete lack of one. Mamoru could see the logic in Yasushi's command. If they continued their firefight, eventually numbers would win out. Their only hope was to rush in with Musyamon and deal a knockout blow from there.

They turned to Kodai and Nagato who as at the vanguard of their group. Nagato had turned around during the conversation, appearing reluctant as well. The Gizamon had already forced him and Kodai to join the melee. Five champion level Digimon would threaten to overwhelm them.

It was Kodai who broke their indecision. "He's right. We just need to keep them busy. Defeating IceDevimon is our priority."

While Yuki showed no outward sign of change, Natsuki was now fired up running forward to join them with Kiwimon. Ikkakumon lumbered forward after them, having been given the signal by his partner.

Musyamon deflected a volley of ice blast from the Frigimon with his blazing sword. Once Kiwimon and Ikkakumon had joined him, they crashed into the line of Frigimon. The battle devolved into a brawl between the two groups. Ikkakumon's mass and fur allowed him to shrug off some of the icy punches the Frigimon sent his way. Kiwimon seemed to have a more challenging time, though she was fighting only one opponent. Though her superior agility kept her out of harm's way, dodging every one of their attacks.

No longer useful in the battle on the ground, Kodai turned back to the remainder of the group. "Yasushi-kun, can you break up that snowstorm around it?" He was trying to find an opening for them to attack.

"Sorcermon's been trying. There's just too much snow for one Digimon to handle." Yasushi was staring at his partner who was trying his best to disrupt the rotation of the tempest.

"He just needs to make a small opening," Kodai insisted. "If Gatomon can break through, it should be enough."

Reina flinched at the mention of Gatomon. It was a sound plan but still incredibly dangerous for the Digimon attempting the breakthrough. They had no way to accurately measure the strength of IceDevimon's protective sphere.

"Wouldn't GrapLeomon be more likely to smash through it?" Mamoru countered. Reina was probably emotionally strained enough just from fighting. He did not want to find out what would happen if her partner was seriously injured.

Kodai nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Though I doubt any of your Digimon could catch him."

Reina looked at them, attempting to prove her resolve with a steely expression. Though her eyes gave away her reluctance. Kodai was right, of course. Leomon already weighed close to two hundred and fifty kilos with his massive frame. GrapLeomon could literally weight a ton with the turbines in his body. None of the three flying Digimon could hope to stop him from smashing into the roof.

Their leader finally noticed Reina's melancholic stare. "I'm sorry," Kodai started, "the people up there need us. This has been going for over fifteen minutes already."

As empathetic as he was trying to be, Kodai still applied an amount of force with his words. Reina was unable to resist a request put that way. Though she was already gathering the will to fight before Kodai's prompting. If Noriko had any intention of intervening, she was too exhausted to voice it. As Wizardmon strained himself to intercept all the attacks, it took a corresponding toll on her.

Kodai turned to Yasushi. "Do it."

The lanky high schooler looked as strained as his junior. He only nodded, prompting Sorcermon to concentrate his magic. Wind began to circle around the magician, as vast amounts of snow was stripped from the sphere around IceDevimon. Channelling it into the tip of his staff, the amount of water being compressed was enormous. Mamoru estimated it to be multiple thousands of litres being readied for an attack. Although the more worrying part was that this vast amount was only a fraction of the tempest's volume.

There was a brilliant burst of ice as Sorcermon's attack struck the tempest sphere. The raging gust sprayed the crystal flakes throughout the air, showing the tower and roof. IceDevimon wailed as the tempest around it fluctuated, almost dissipating from the force of the blast. The snowy wind above it began to thin out, revealing an opening.

Gatomon exploited this instantly, launcher herself from the observation deck, paws coated with electricity. There was a sharp thunderclap, fully audible from even a hundred metres below. It was difficult to make out clearly, but Mamoru could see sparks flying off the edge of the snowstorm. There was another loud explosion followed by a lone ice shard plummeting to earth.

"Gatomon!" Reina cried, her voice cracking up by the end.

Mamoru looked up to see the distinctive yellow and orange striped paws of Gatomon through the ice. Her tail was the only part unfrozen, the holy ring on it glinting as it swayed in the wind. Wisemon immediately dived after Gatomon. Despite pushing himself, he was still just barely out of reach. Looking back to the ground, Reina's legs began to tremble. Mamoru rushed forward to hold her up before they gave way.

Kodai stood utterly still, his right fist clenched on his chest. He inhaled sharply and snapped his head upward. GrapLeomon reacted to his partner's movement, leaping from Kyoto Tower toward IceDevimon. The roar of the turbines pierced the wind around the tower. Mamoru could see the air reverberate as GrapLeomon impacted the tempest around IceDevimon. It looked like a distorted sonic boom, rippling outward and scattering the snow as it progressed.

IceDevimon struggled to regain control of the tempest and stay aloft; its wings shattered by the attack. Though GrapLeomon was faring little better. He hurtled toward the earth, Sorcermon and Wizardmon unable to keep up. The lion thrashed about, attempting to slow his descent, but his sheer mass made it impossible. Even if the two magicians could catch up, Mamoru doubted they would be able to slow his fall enough.

Everyone went into a panic as Gatomon and GrapLeomon plunged from the tower. The remaining Digimon were still embroiled with the Frigimon. Reina was still struggling to stand up on her own, still resting most of her weight on Mamoru. He leaned forward to check on her, only to find her expression frozen in despair. Her face remained unmoving, but Mamoru could see the horror in her eyes.

"Nagato!" Kodai yelled, his voice almost going hoarse from the effort. "Can you do it?"

A pillar for fire erupted as Musyamon thrust his nodachi into one of the Frigimon, deleting it. Another volley of missiles from Ikkakumon knocked the remainder off their feet. Though they were not out of the fight, slowly rising up as the samurai Digimon returned to his battle stance.

"We don't have much of a choice," Nagato said, taking in a deep breath to compose himself.

Holding out his Digivice, it pulsed with light, its back cover turning sea grey. Musyamon was engulfed in the familiar yellow light, rising into the air as he began to Digivolve. The colour of his armour faded as it began to compress and melding into his body. Two pairs of ragged red wings started to erupt from his back while his hands turned into claws. Emerging from the evolutionary light, parts of the now draconic figure's armour were now coated in chrome.

Nagato pointed skyward to the plummeting GrapLeomon. "Cyberdramon!"

The dragon Digimon let out a ferocious growl before taking off, leaving a gust of air in his wake. Reina looked on, tears forming in her eyes as Cyberdramon accelerated toward the falling Digimon. She turned to Mamoru, grabbing on to his jacket.

"I'm sorry," Mamoru mumbled, averting his gaze. "I can't save Gatomon."

Wisemon was still trying to close the distance. The same wind that slowed Gatomon's fall buffeted the cloaked Digimon, leaving him just of outreach. She tightened her grip, completely crumpling the fabric. Reina pulled on him, forcing him to look her in the eye again. They were wet with freshly formed tears, but there was also a steely determination.

"We need to help everyone else. We'll save ourselves."

Pushing Mamoru away, she held out her Digivice like Nagato. Light erupted from it, the casing turning scarlet. Gatomon was encased in an intense light, shattering the ice that enveloped her. Pure white wings burst from the cocoon of light, slowing her fall mere moments from the ground. Wisemon quickly broke away to avoid slamming into the earth.

Flying beside the cloaked Digimon was a blonde-haired angel, clad in white. Her purple scarf fluttered in the breeze as they approached the DigiDestined's location. Reina and Hikari's partner's most apparent difference was that the Angewomon before him now only had three pairs of wings.

Before Mamoru could ponder the implications of that further, there was the sound of crashing metal as Cyberdramon caught GrapLeomon. The dragon Digimon had incredible strength, carrying the other Digimon's weight and continuing flying upwards. The IceDevimon had landed on the top of the observation deck, curled up in pain. The two wizard Digimon had turned around, flying beside Cyberdramon as they ascended to finish their battle.

The Frigimon began to regain their composure, reorganising themselves into a line abreast. Mamoru felt the hairs on his face stand as two bolts of electricity crackled above them. They struck the Frigimon before they were able to attack, knocking two of them out. As the survivors reoriented themselves to the threat, Angewomon stopped in front of them and drew her bow. Firing two Holy Arrows in quick succession, she dispatched the remainder of the Digimon. Yuki and Natsuki dashed forward, Digivices raised to send them and the Gizamon back to the Digital World.

Angewomon and Wisemon immediately started to gain altitude to join the other against IceDevimon. Another tempest had formed around the wild Digimon, obscuring it from sight again. Sorcermon's attempts to dispel it were now more successful, thinning it considerably. The snowstorm dissipated, clearing the air around the tower as well.

Yuki gasped as the wild Digimon's figure became clear. Now hovering in front of the observation deck, its wings had transformed into a pair of tentacles. It let loose another howl, revealing its body had now turned deep blue.

"It Digivolved to MarineDevimon," Yuki said as she regained her composure.

Ice continued to form around the ultimate-level wild Digimon. Sorcermon's attempts to disrupt it continued to be successful. It still appeared to be a fragile balance, as the ice dissipated as quickly as it formed. Mamoru assumed that Kodai's interruption had caused the wild Digimon to lose control of the snow it had been building up over days. Despite it being stronger now, it could not muster the same volume of ice it had previously.

"Noriko, have Wizardmon heat up the frame around the observation deck," Kodai instructed, having restored confidence in the group.

She wearily nodded, prompting her partner to generate a flame on the end of his staff. The effects were almost immediate, the heat conducting throughout the metal frame, causing the ice to melt away. That couldn't be natural; the heat had spread too rapidly. Yet, Mamoru could not put it pass a Digimon who seemed to be capable of literal magic.

Cyberdramon flipped GrapLeomon upward as they neared MarineDevimon. The dragon Digimon's strength was immense, propelling the other Digimon over twenty meters above them. He accelerated, claws glowing bright blue with energy. Cyberdramon made a swift pass, slashing the wild Digimon. GrapLeomon followed this up immediately, pummeling MarineDevimon with a turbine kick to the chest. The dragon Digimon rolled over and dove away to catch his partner.

While the attacks were effective, MarineDevimon seemed to be far from beaten. The wild Digimon began to generate a strong downdraft, slowing Wisemon and Angewomon's ascent. Cyberdramon seemed to fare little better, encumbered with the weight of GrapLeomon.

"Tsk." The sound came from Yasushi. His face was scrunched up, his glasses pushed ajar by his raised cheeks.

"There's no other Digimon in position." He said, directing his words mostly to Kodai. "I'll Digivolve as well and take it out."

There was a snarl from Nagato, expressing his scorn. Kodai raised his hand between them, signalling them to stay focus on the actual fight.

Noriko moved behind Yasushi and put her hand on his shoulder. "You can't. There's no one else that can control the snow around the wild Digimon."

Yasushi's shoulders eased back, his anger defused by Noriko's actions.

"I know how it feels," Kodai said, clench his palm briefly. "but we aren't even sure if Wizardmon's ultimate evolution will still be able to fly."

Yasushi looked away, resigned to the role he was playing in this fight. Noriko tried to reassure him, giving him a weary smile. But it was hardly convincing to anyone. Reina staggered to Mamoru, her hand clutching her temple. Mamoru immediately linked arms with her to help her stand.

"How bad is the headache?" Mamoru asked. While Nagato showed no outward signs of fatigue, Reina was not doing half as well.

"I can… manage." She croaked, forcing herself to look upwards at the battle.

Angewomon was the fastest flyer among the Digimon and had pushed through the downdraft, closing into firing range. The threatened MarineDevimon firing black bolts of ink wildly at the Digimon below them. Angewmon gracefully avoided the oncoming fire, inching toward her foe. She raised her bow high, aiming it squarely at the squid Digimon's chest.

The barrage of holy arrows was blistering, striking MarineDevimon multiple times. Its concentration was shattered, ending both the downdraft and the remaining snow. The weather itself seemed to change, the clouds above the tower thinning out. Beams of sunlight broke through, placing a spotlight on the beautiful angel.

Wizardmon's efforts appeared to be successful as Mamoru saw figures start to appear on the observation deck's edge. It was warm enough for them to get up and spectate the fight happening in front of them. Sorcermon too the initiative to fire a crystal barrage, hammering MarineDevimon from another angle. GrapLeomon and Cyberdramon relaunched their combo attack, though the wild Digimon still managed to keep itself aloft despite the severe beating it took.

Mamoru took it on himself to finish it, and hopefully dispatch MarineDevimon without needing to delete it. Undisturbed, Wisemon regained the concentration required to launch his Pandora Dialogue. The words leapt from the pages of his book, ensnaring the wild Digimon and dragging it toward the earth. It was in a pitiful state, too weak to resist an attack that it could have easily deflected with its snow tempest.

"Yuki! Natsuki!" Mamoru shouted as Wisemon neared the rooftop.

They ran forward, raising their Digivices. There was a loud screech as the MarineDevimon used the last of its strength to spite the DigiDestined. Reina dropped to her knees as their Digimon descended from the tower. The clouds were beginning to dissipate, revealing patches of blue sky above them. Nagato finally succumbed to the toll of ultimate level Digivolution, wearing an expression of immense pain.

As their partners reverted to their rookie states, Mamoru and Kodai looked around to see that the rest of the DigiDestined were utterly exhausted. While he was fatigued himself, it was closer to the feeling of ending a day of work than the total exhaustion the others seemed to suffer from. Beyond a doubt, their experience was building up, allowing them to lessen the consequences of Digivolving to higher stages.

They remained in silence for a few minutes, sitting in a circle and basking in the warmth of the sunlight that now bathed downtown Kyoto. The remaining snow around them had begun to melt, signalling the temperature was finally rising above freezing. Yasushi was the first to recover enough to stand up. He tried to give Mamoru and Kodai a reassuring smile, but his expression was still closer to deadpan. A little later, Yuki and Natsuki stood up as well, seeming to have put themselves together. Though it was difficult to tell for the former, her expression had remained consistent since the battle had ended.

"We should get moving," Kodai announced, looking over to the base of Kyoto Tower. People were beginning to descend and were all looking towards them, likely curious about their Digimon.

Noriko groaned but managed to stand up and drag herself towards the stairwell they had come from. It was Nagato and Reina who were in no condition to go anywhere. They had dozed off during their break, only to be awakened by the prodding of the others.

"I'll take care of Nagato," Kodai said as he helped him up. It was difficult to discern if their manoeuvre's ease was due to Kodai's strength of familiarity with the situation.

Mamoru turned to Reina, who was still reeling from her headache. "Come on." Mamoru said gently, "I do owe you for that day in fall anyway."

Reina tried to squeeze out a smile, but she just appeared more miserable as she tried. Mamoru placed her arm over his shoulders as they began to shuffle toward the staircase. Ahead of them, Noriko had abrupt stopped as he overheard their conversation. As she turned around, Yasushi placed his had on her head, forcing her to turn back to where she was facing. Too weak to protest, Mamoru heard her sigh before continuing her walk.

They received curious glances as they exited the mall. Thankfully, vehicle traffic had resumed, which drew some attention away from them. Yasushi unlocked his Digivice to reveal Tapirmon peacefully sleeping on his home screen. Scrolling through various notification, Mamoru saw that both the Nara and Keihan Uji had become inoperable due to snow build-up.

"It's going to take a few hours for them to clear the snow everywhere else in Kyoto," Yasushi announced.

"Nagato and I can take the bus home from here," Kodai said, gesturing to the bus interchange nearby.

"There are also buses back to Higashiyama," Natsuki said, prompting Yuki to nod in acknowledgement.

Mamoru would have no problem getting back to campus if buses were running to Higashiyama. Though those living in Uji seemed to be in a bind. There was no easy way to get back, and the two high schoolers were in no condition to help Reina home.

"Senpai," Noriko said, dragging out her words in exhaustion. "Your dorm is near campus, right?"

Mamoru did not like where this was going. But the only alternative was for him to bring the three of them back to Uji which would take hours.

"Yes…" He replied hesitantly, trying to conceal his hesitance.

"Can we rest there for the day?"

Mamoru turned to Reina who had not said a word. She was using most of her remaining strength just to stand up. As much of an inconvenience as it would be, Mamoru could hardly refuse at this point. They boarded the bus with Natsuki and Yuki to make sure they got to Higashiyama alright. Though tired, Yuki was still typing into her laptop, though much slower than usual.

"What are you doing?" Mamoru asked. What could be so important that she would still work on it after their massive battle?

"Messaging Koshiro-san," She replied nonchalantly, her eyes glued to the screen as always.

"The detection system?" Mamoru had a hunch that she would be frustrated by it. That IceDevimon seemed to have been causing the freak amount of snow Kyoto was having the past few weeks. Yet they had never picked up on it.

"Yes," She placed the finishing touches on her message before closing her laptop screen. "We still don't have enough satellites…" Yuki mumbled.

Her eyes looked like they were about to glaze over, using the last of her energy to finish her work. Mamoru decided not to press his questions further. He doubted that he would understand much of what she said anyway.

Turning to Natsuki, who was now the only other person awake, she continued to look out the window as the bus plodded along. Her reflection showed a sour and melancholic expression on her face. After some time, she turned around and noticed Mamoru was unoccupied. He only occasionally checked on the other DigiDestined to ensure they were still alright.

"Sanada-san?" Natsuki started. "Do you think Kodai-senpai was disappointed in our performance at that battle?"

It was transparent that she was referring to herself. Mamoru did not know much about her previous battle experience, having been out of the group so long. Even then, it was apparent that Natsuki was the weakest member of the group.

"Not at all," Mamoru replied, trying to sound reassuring. "It was mostly an aerial battle today. I'm sure Kiwimon will contribute more in another situation."

Her expression lightened, but it was clear Natsuki was still not convinced. "Are you sure that's what Kodai-senpai thinks?"

"Kadotani-san," he began before she interrupted him with a raised hand.

"Just call me by my first name. You already did it just now." Mamoru realised that in the heat of the moment, he had used their first names without thinking.

"Alright," Mamoru said, resuming his train of thought. "I don't actually know Kodai that well. So, I can't be completely certain." Natsuki seemed mildly surprised at his admission, but he chose to just brush past it. "But he is definitely proud of what we did. Kodai is probably more disappointed in himself, being unable to contribute because GrapLeomon can't fly."

This seemed to assuage Natsuki's fears. Though Mamoru did not know precisely what their origin was. She nodded and smiled briefly before returning to her own thoughts. The two of them alighted before the rest, waving goodbye to Mamoru as their bus drove off.

The final stretch to Mamoru's dorm was a mess. Reina could barely stay awake, and Noriko stumbled about as if she was drunk. Yasushi barely had the energy to support her and himself. They drew plenty of unwanted attention, making Mamoru grimace at the thought of it filtering back to Asuka. Worse, these were not just any people he was with. Reina would be recognisable to some others on campus, and Noriko was very obviously in Todoh High School's uniform.

They spilt into his room, the two girls immediately collapsing onto his bed. Noriko still had the energy to make herself comfortable, pulling his blanket over herself and Reina. This left him and Yasushi to lie on the tatami floor that had gone cold in his absence. Despite IceDevimon's defeat, it was still midwinter with the temperature remaining in the single digits. As the silence set in, Mamoru felt himself slowly drifting off.

"Sanada-san?" Yasushi said, breaking the silence. Mamoru had lost track of time they had spent lying on the floor. He was not even sure if he had been asleep.

"Can I stay here overnight?"

Mamoru was caught off guard by the request, immediately sitting upright in response.

"Why?" He said, his mouth parched. The tatami was now warm, indicating that the heater had been left on for some time.

"I have an exam here tomorrow," Yasushi said nonchalantly. "The sun is about to set, so I think it is a bit late to go back."

"Aren't you going to send Noriko home?" Mamoru immediately shot back. He walked to his window and drew his curtains, revealing a blazing orange sky. They had slept the whole afternoon away.

"I don't think she is going anywhere,"

Mamoru turned around to see that Reina and Noriko had steadily shifted themselves into a proper sleeping position, aligning their bodies with the length of his bed. Mamoru remembered what had happened after Kiyomizu-dera, he had slept through most of the day after. Even if Noriko had not Digivolved to ultimate level, this was the most protracted fight they had ever been in.

"I thought this might happen, so I brought everything I need for the exam." Yasushi patted his bag that he had been using as a pillow.

Mamoru internally cursed himself for not realising it earlier. "The Centre Test are tomorrow."

Yasushi calmly nodded. Mamoru was surprised at how collected he was despite having spent the day before his exam exhausting himself in a Digimon fight.

"What about Nagato?" Mamoru was worried, Nagato would be in no condition to even consider getting up tomorrow.

"Takeshi?" Yasushi still insisted on using his first name. "He's in the science division. His exam is the day after."

"Damn, this is important, of course you can stay." Mamoru immediately started to rack his brain for how he would work out the logistics for this. "I have a sleeping bag somewhere," he began, walking towards his closet.

"Sanada-san, I appreciate what you are doing, but I'd rather not have to sleep on the floor. And you also need somewhere to sleep."

Even excluding the social implications, the bed was physically occupied to capacity. Another through flashed through Mamoru's mind, though he immediately wanted to dismiss it. Yet, after spending another five minutes attempting to come up with a solution, he found no other options.

"I'll ask one of my friends," he sighed. "We can borrow the inflatable mattress she has."

Reluctantly, Mamoru trudged out of his building and made is way to the residential colleges to the west of his dorm. At the very least, the weather was now completely calm without a single cloud in the sky—a welcome change to the blizzard they were experiencing earlier. Though Asuka went home to Uji more often than he did, she also decided to stay close to campus. It was mostly an excuse to live with Haruka and have fun away from home.

He buzzed the intercom to hear a perplex Asuka on the other end. After deciding her interrogation was better conducted in person, he was allowed up to her room. Mamoru meekly greeted her roommate Haruka as he entered the two-person room, hoping to stir anymore suspicion. He was hardly surprised to find Kaori also present. Despite going to a music college nearby, she seemed to spend most of her time at Kyodai with her high school friends. Though this worked to Mamoru's advantage. It was the whole reason Asuka and Haruka owned extra bedding and an inflatable mattress.

"Eh? Your junior wants to stay over here for his exam tomorrow?" Asuka's energetic tone shattered the evening calm that had graced Kyoto.

"Please, he is exhausted," Mamoru said, intentionally glossing over other more sensitive details.

"Let me guess," she said, turning to Haruka prompting her to bring up an article on her phone. "Did you guys have something to do with what happened at Kyoto Tower?"

"Yeah," Mamoru said, averting his gaze. "That's why we are having such nice weather now."

Kaori and Haruka's was grabbed this statement. Being in proximity to Asuka throughout high school, they had gradually learnt about Digimon through their connections to him. Though Asuka was the only one who had any idea close to the full extent of what was happening.

"So that means you were with Reina and Noriko." She said, raising her left eyebrow.

Mamoru clenched his jaw, irritated that the additional information he had thrown out failed to distract her. "Yes. Now please lend me the mattress. Yasushi had a major exam tomorrow. Take pity on him."

"Kaori, you weren't planning on staying over tonight, right?" Asuka said, her tone even more energetic than before. She shook her head, prompting Asuka to immediately bring out the box the mattress was in.

"Come on Mamoru," She said with a sly grin. She had handed him the mattress box and had picked up a basket with the bedding herself.

"I can carry all of it myself," Mamoru said.

"No, no," Asuka was utterly undeterred. "I'm lending you this after all. I need to ensure that its properly set up over there."

"I know how to do this," Mamoru said, letting his irritation show.

"I am trying to be a good friend." She said, her voice now sickeningly sweet. "How can I let you carry all this by yourself in the cold." There was a burst of laughter from Haruka and Kaori which pushed Mamoru to resignation.

Mamoru barged back into his own room out of sheer frustration causing Yasushi to scramble to his feet in surprise. "You can leave it here, Asuka," Mamoru said, in a last-ditch attempt to get rid of her.

"Hello, Senpai," Yasushi said with a slight bow. "Thank you for lending me your mattress."

"Not at all," Asuka replied in her normal voice. "You're from the history club, right?"

"Yes, I've seen you in the hallway a few times near the music room." Yasushi continued making polite conversation despite Mamoru's signals to cut it.

"Oh?" Asuka said, turning to his bed to see Reina and Noriko fast asleep.

"They had a long day," Yasushi said sheepishly.

"Oh its fine, I'm sure Mamoru will take good care of them as well," Asuka said, giving Mamoru one of her exaggerated winks.

"Are you happy now, Asuka?" Mamoru replied drily as he began to set up the additional mattress.

"Oh yes," She said. "Noriko looks nothing like me."

Mamoru shook his head as he ushered her out of the door. In the hallway, Asuka gave him a thumbs up before waving goodbye. He definitely would not hear the end of this. But at least she had picked up that they were genuinely exhausted.

Mamoru settled in for the night in his sleeping bag. They had polished off the last of his onigiri and packaged food for a makeshift dinner, too tired to even drop by a convenience store. He hoped that neither of the girls would wake up before tomorrow since nothing was left for them to eat. Just in case, Mamoru had prepared extra water for them, but that was as much as they could manage.

"Sanada-san?" Yasushi said as he turned off the light. "I'm kind of glad this is happening. It's the first time all the DigiDestined from Todoh have spent time together."

"Is it what you always wanted?" Mamoru said as he lay down. He wondered if he had been a bit too distant in high school, not even interacting with Reina.

"Kind of. I guess this is more of Noriko's wish."

That sounded more like it. "Too bad she isn't awake."

"It's okay. You'll have your hands full tomorrow when they wake up."

Mamoru shuddered at the thought, remember that Yasushi would be leaving early for his exam. Though he decided that he could deal with her badgering when the time came. It was only eight on a Friday night, but the evening calm quickly lulled him to sleep.


	13. Shigure 時雨

**Chapter 13: Shigure** **時雨**

Everything had its price. Though it was something you intuitively knew, Mamoru was only now coming to understand its full implications. At first, it seemed like his DigiDestined responsibilities cost him time and energy—things in ample supply for a student. While frustrating, he thought he was getting used to it until the reality at the end of the academic year hit him.

Yasushi was the first to truly suffer the cost of the responsibilities thrust upon them. While he made it to the Centre Test in one piece, he was in a state that no one should be in when taking an exam. Despite Noriko's constant teasing about his presidency of the Todoh High History Club, it was not just an empty title. A bunch of nerds as they were, the butt of many jokes Mamoru heard throughout his time in school, they had made humanities exams look effortless.

Noriko had been consumed with worry when she woke up near midday, much to Mamoru's irritation since it derailed his work yet again. She paced back and forth in his room while Reina was blissfully asleep. It was a great relief for the trio when Yasushi emerged from the examination hall declaring that it had gone well given the circumstances. On the other hand, Mamoru only had an inkling of how Nagato's exam had gone. Kodai only told them that he had managed to sit for all his papers the following day, which relieved their most extreme fears of him being too exhausted to even show up.

Even though Mamoru managed to walk away from their battle at Kyoto Tower without anyone's help, the constant feeling of exhaustion continued throughout the week. It was much worse for Reina, spending the days after leaving his dorm room completely cloistered away, uncontactable in her home. It was fortunate they did not have any more classes until April. But unfortunately, the reason classes had stopped was to give students a study break before the semester's final exams at the start of February.

Perhaps others would have considered Mamoru's performances to be adequate, coming in slightly below average. To him, this was an abject disaster. He had not come to Kyodai just to get by and graduate. His whole life was becoming consumed by Digimon, threatening to derail it. With the semester over and his dorm lease only starting again a week before the next academic year, he had relocated most of his life back home to Uji. Aside from the break from coursework, it felt like very little had changed with his parents being out most of the time.

While the depths of winter had passed, it was still a frigid late February day. Since January, the weather had been mild with the temperature even reaching the high single digits on cloudless days. The sunshine that washed over Mamoru's face as he walked towards Uji-bashi bridge felt soothing in the cold air. The only thing that could be improved was the chattering going on right next to him.

"All I'm saying is that it's not that bad," Asuka said with a shrug.

Mamoru slowly released his breath before turning to her. "Really?" His speech was slow and methodical, annunciating every syllable clearly.

"Hey, you didn't get any Fs, you don't have to repeat anything, and you still did better than like forty-odd percent of people." Asuka rattled off her justification undeterred. "Our grades in first year don't count towards our final degree class anyway. We just needed to pass."

Mamoru gritted his teeth, knowing she was technically right. Though scoring well opened a lot of doors, especially for anyone who wanted to stay in academics.

"That's easy for you to say." He grumbled. "I assume you got your usual placing in the cohort? Just like in high school."

"Well…" Asuka said, dragging the word as she formulated a reply. "I did slip from that."

"Oh?" Mamoru felt a twinge of uncertainty within him. He just assumed she had overachieved as usual. "How did you do actually?" It was a risky question, but he was still sure that there was no way she had done worse than him.

"Staying in first place is hard," Asuka said, brushing her hair back. The doubt in Mamoru's mind was immediately erased. "I slipped to second."

Mamoru resisted the urge to reply with a curse. "So, you're telling me, you went from being at the top of our high school cohort to second place in your course at Kyodai."

"Pretty much," She was entirely unabashed, even giving him a shrug. "Economics was much harder than I thought with all the math involved."

"Well, _Tanaka Asuka_ , What a tragedy. And here I thought my fall from third place to not even in the top hundred was the real disaster."

"You did have your Digimon thing to handle, right?" It was a mumble compared to her earlier words. "I hope Reina did alright."

"Pushing aside the fact that you have sympathy for Reina but not me," Mamoru started, venting a bit of his own irritation. "Didn't she tell you?"

"Today's the first time I'm meeting her since January."

This was also the first time the three of them would properly meet as a group. Mamoru had never realised that the person between him and Asuka on the academic rankings at Todoh was Reina. While they were now in different courses, there was still an expectation to perform to a level becoming of their old standings. Given Reina's severe fatigue after Digivolving to ultimate level for the first time, he had avoided asking her about how exams went.

As they reached the intersection west of Uji-Bashi, he received a text from Reina. Asuka peered over his shoulder, scanning the message as well. "Oooh, she bought bread from Nakaji Bakery. I haven't had any since we finished school."

Both he and Asuka lived on the Uji River's southwest side and had no reason to stop by Obaku station anymore. Mamoru wondered what Reina's nostalgic gesture indicated about her mood. The bakery was not on the path between her house and the station. Did this mean she was in a good mood? Or was the retreat to something familiar a sign that she was unhappy with the present?

Another messaged appeared, telling them to get a seat at the family restaurant they were lunching at first. Asuka excitedly started climbing the stairs to the entrance the moment she finished reading. The cream-coloured two-story building was elevated by a few pillars, the space underneath being used as a car park. As the next cheapest option after fast food, it was an establishment they had all frequented in their high school days.

As Mamoru pushed open the doors, the smell of cheese hit him as he registered the sound of sizzling meat. Memories came rushing back of nights spent talking until the restaurant closed and celebratory meals after exams. It was Asuka's presence in particular that made this lunch feel incredibly familiar. His circle of friends was so small he could not recall a time that he had come here without her in the group.

"Brings back memories, huh?" Asuka said as they slid into their booth seats.

"Yeah…"

They sat mostly in silence, waiting for Reina to arrive. Though it was for entirely different reasons. Asuka was eagerly going over the menu, deciding what kind of yoshoku she wanted. Meanwhile, Mamoru racked his mind, thinking of what to say to Reina. Should he just avoid the topic of their exams entirely?

"Hey!" Asuka waved almost frantically to Reina as she walked towards them.

Mamoru immediately realised why she had rushed to enter before him. She had strategically taken the seat further away from the door and placed her bag next to her. Perhaps, they were all too smart for their own good. Coming up with ploys in otherwise mundane and straightforward moments.

"Quick," Asuka said, pushing a menu to the empty space next to Mamoru. "We already decided what we'll get." It was another subtle way to ensure she sat next to him. He forced himself to suppress a groan as Reina sat down without thinking twice.

"I always get the same thing here," Reina replied without looking at the menu.

"Great," Asuka slammed her palm on the call button for a waiter. "Don't order any dessert. We've got all that bread."

Asuka rattled off her order the moment their waitress took out her notepad. Despite frequenting this yoshoku place, she was someone that could not live without eating rice. Mamoru anticipated her order easily, one doria with extra cheese. He, on the other hand, had no such limitations.

"One hamburg—" He and Reina spoke at the same time, ordering the exact same thing.

Asuka narrowed her eyes, a grin now plastered over her face. Mamoru was used to just immediately ordering after her in a group. Worse, he had somehow ordered the same thing as Reina.

"Oh…" Mamoru started, Asuka's expression quickly reverting to something innocuous. "It's okay, I'll order something else."

"It's fine," Reina replied. "I should get something different."

As Mamoru pondered giving in to her request, Reina seized the initiative. "I'll have an Omurice please."

The waitress read back to them their now distinct orders before heading off, leaving Asuka looking even happier than before. As Mamoru gazed out the window to a sky filling up with clouds, the other two launched into a lively conversation.

"Have you met any of your kouhais recently?" This was Asuka's favourite topic. It was easier to pry into the business of her juniors than people in their year.

Reina glanced over to Mamoru as if she was looking for some kind of queue. "I guess it was kind of recent? Those still in high school are busy with exams, though."

"Oh? Like Noriko-chan?" Asuka said, her expression unflinching despite Mamoru's glares. She had used Noriko's first name on purpose to taunt him. Despite their uncanny similarities, the two had never actually spoken before.

"Yes," Reina nodded. "Yuki and Natsuki-chan as well. They're in first and second year, so it's not life or death. But they are still putting in lots of effort to make up for all the time they spend doing Digimon stuff."

There was a slight twitch in Asuka's face at the mention of Natsuki. Mamoru wondered why their conversation never brought up the guys in their group. Though if Asuka really did get out of hand, he could conveniently slip the fact he was meeting Kodai and Yasushi later in the day.

Asuka sighed, "My kouhais are the same, there's nothing interesting going on. They all got into the schools they wanted."

Mamoru found it astounding yet entirely expected that she could find good news to be boring. Although he was sure she was happy on the inside, it would have helped to show it for once.

"Are any of them coming to Kyodai?" Reina asked.

"At the moment no. Though they could get in through secondary faculty admission like Haruka. I think our school still has no idea she got in eventually." Asuka turned to Mamoru. "What about Nakajima-kun? He was taking the Centre Test that day, right?"

Asking Yasushi about how he had done was a sensitive issue. He was hoping that he would volunteer that information later in the day.

"He didn't do as well as he wanted to," Reina announced.

He attempted to contain his surprise, but the momentary flicker of his expression was picked up by Asuka.

"Oh? Was he aiming for Kyodai?" Asuka was now keeping an eye fixed on Mamoru.

"He was… But he still did well enough to get into Doshisha, which was his second choice."

"Is it because of what you guys were doing at Kyoto Tower that day?"

It was now Reina who was caught off guard.

Asuka noticed and immediately tried to smooth it over. "Mamoru came to borrow a mattress from me that day. I saw you and Kosaka huddled together on the bed. It was on the news that there was an incident at Kyoto Tower. I just guessed it must be you guys."

"We were fighting a wild Digimon there," Reina said, more at ease. It was hard to keep track of who was supposed to know what about their after school responsibilities.

"That's what you guys have been doing this whole time?"

"Yeah?" Reina turned to Mamoru, no longer subtle with her hints. "I assumed that Mamoru would have told you all about it?"

Both of them turned to him, though for very different reasons. "It just never came up. I thought you knew that we were fighting them. It's all over the news."

"Gee, thanks for the sharing," Asuka said with a pout.

"Didn't you two talk about it?" The attempt by Mamoru to reverse the question unto them backfired almost immediately.

"No, why would I talk about fighting." Reina scowled.

Mamoru pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting both his decision and how inconsiderate it sounded.

"It's not just wild Digi-animals fighting each other?"

"No," Mamoru replied, astounded that Asuka knew so little. Her observance was really limited to social gossip much of the time. "Doesn't the news report on this? I'm sure they realised by now that a bunch of students are directing some of the monsters."

"No! Asuka replied forcefully. The waitress who had brought their food was stunned by the student outburst from her.

They meekly apologised, putting a stopper on their conversation as she finished serving them. Mamoru took a few hesitant bites of his hamburg steak, unsure of how to proceed. The girls mirrored his actions, picking away at their food as the atmosphere stagnated.

"Mamoru, this isn't normal," Asuka said, breaking the tension. "Most people have no idea what is going on. I didn't know you were rampaging around Kyoto."

"We're not." He shot back. "We're trying to stop their rampage."

"Sorry," It was the first time in a while Mamoru had heard her apologise. "I didn't mean it that way. So this is what you meant by being busy with your Digimon. I thought it was more like having a very complex pet."

"It was like that at first," Reina offered, "But it's hard to just watch as Digimon enter the world and cause chaos. We had the power to do something, so we did."

"But none of them look anything like your Digimon," Asuka said perplexed.

"They evolve to fight," Mamoru replied, taking out his D-4.

"No one else can handle this huh…"

"Nope," Mamoru said immediately. "I'm sure you've seen videos of what happened in Tokyo a few years ago. The JSDF couldn't do a thing."

"Are you guys, okay?" Mamoru only noticed the shift in Asuka's tone with this question, though it had long been changing gradually.

"I guess?" Mamoru said, turning over to Reina.

She quietly nodded, glancing away soon after. While it was an unpleasant topic, she was unusually reticent. Perhaps it was because they had deleted one of the Frigimon the other day. Though Mamoru could not be sure she even noticed anything else happening as Gatomon fell.

"It must be tough, but it sounds like an important job." Asuka was uncharacteristically soft with her words. "It's like you guys are real heroes."

This statement struck a chord in both Reina and Mamoru. They both shifted their posture, facing Asuka more directly.

"I wouldn't go that far." He said in dryly. "It feels more like we're a cleanup crew."

"I don't know about what happens most of the time, or what is normal for you guys. But what you all did at Kyoto Tower did save people."

"Asuka…" Mamoru was tried to hide that he was moved by what she said. Her constant snide attitude made the change more effective.

"It's why Kodai is so committed," Reina said, though it was difficult to discern who her words were meant for.

"It's still pretty unfair." Mamoru lamented. "It's an important responsibility, but it's because of that we can't just ignore it for a while. And we didn't get to choose if we wanted it."

"Lots of people would love a chance to be a hero." Asuka's tone was returning to her usual playful manner. Apparently, she had reached her quota for heartfelt statements. "Especially guys."

Mamoru resisted the urge to groan. "Everyone wants to be a hero until they see the cost. People can get hurt."

"Well, no one has been hurt yet, thanks to what you're doing. The only thing in real pain is your grades."

He twitched as Asuka brought up his results again.

Reina turned towards him with a look of concern. "You did okay, right, Mamoru?"

"I passed. So I suppose it's okay." Mamoru desperately wanted to change the subject, but he responded with the first thing that came to mind. "How did you do?"

Reina recoiled at his question, making him curse his impulse again. "If I'm honest." She avoided his gaze, drawing circles on the table with her finger. "I scored as usual so its nothing worth talking about."

"Usual?" Asuka said. "Like how you usually did in high school?"

"It's not a big deal," Reina said, waving her hands to emphasise her statement. "This semester we did Kokoro and The Schoolgirl. I've been reading Natsume and Dazai forever so…"

"You are one of the tops in your course right," Mamoru mumbled. "Even though we crashed after the battle at Kyoto Tower."

"You were being tested on something you hadn't read until university, right?" She countered, attempting to justify his performance for him.

"I'm in the bottom half of the cohort." He said bitterly.

"Hey, it's for a good cause, right?" Asuka was trying to be helpful, but it only heightened the sting.

Mamoru finished the last of his food, trying to distil his thoughts. But the only thing that came out was his frustration.

"Kodai's the hero. I'm just here because I happened to have a Digimon."

"Mamoru…" Asuka started before Reina raised her hand, cutting her off.

"We didn't choose to have Digimon partners, but you didn't choose what you like to study either."

"I chose to study and go to Kyodai."

"No Mamoru, that's not what I mean." Reina shook her head with disappointment. "Why do you like your course?"

"I…" He attempted to develop a robust reason, but it felt strange to justify something like this. Mamoru had never come up with any reason beyond a personal desire to learn. It was only the insecure who felt the need to legitimise something personal with a rational explanation.

"You just do," Asuka said, giving him a gentle smile.

"It's just something that happens," Reina continued. "just like being a DigiDestined. It just happens that the two things conflict sometimes. But they are a part of who you are."

What she said felt incisive yet like a platitude. "It's different, being a DigiDestined was something that happened to me. Not something that I discovered about myself."

"It still is you." Asuka shrugged. "School, the people you meet, your Digimon. It's all things that happen to you, but we don't question most of it because it's just normal."

"Mamoru, I'm not saying it's easy. I think I would be angry too if I bombed my exams. Look at Yasushi-kun. He also paid the price of being a DigiDestined like you. Except much worse." Though Reina did not say it, Mamoru was reminded that she was also paying a price in her own way.

"Yasushi is Yasushi," Mamoru replied flatly.

"I know it's a bit unfair to compare you two. Different people can tolerate different things to different extents. But you two are the most alike." Asuka was trying her best to help, but nothing she said really resonated with him. How could she understand when she was not a DigiDestined.

Mamoru considered his options for a reply but elected to disengage. The conversation was going nowhere productive and getting increasingly emotionally charged. An irrational part of him wanted to burst forward and let loose his anger. Yet he still had a firm enough grip over himself to see it was all going nowhere.

The rest of their lunch felt laboured with their previous discussion left hanging. Inevitably, the conversation shifted to their former high school. Asuka proudly announced that she was going back for their cultural festival despite it being months away. Mamoru had not set foot in Todoh since their graduation. What was the point?

As much as Asuka tried to coax Mamoru into a better mood with her usual exaggerated behaviour, a dull look remained plastered over his face. Reina quietly handed her an anpan she had bought for her as they left the restaurant. The sky was now completely overcast as Asuka parted ways with them, heading towards the Agata Shrine.

Usually, Mamoru would be going the same way as her since his apartment was near Uji City Hall. Today he followed Reina back towards the trains since he was travelling north to Yasushi's house between Obaku and Kohata station. Kodai suggested that all four of the guys meet, but the plan quickly imploded as the tension between Yasushi and Nagato escalated. Mamoru still had no idea why they were at each other's necks half the time and was reluctant to ask any further questions. After they alighted at Obaku, he was about to cross the street when Reina grabbed his shoulder.

"Here" In her outstretched hand was a bun wrapped in plastic. "It's your favourite curry bun."

Mamoru silently nodded and took her gift, still unsure if he should say anything.

"You weren't thinking of just walking off without saying goodbye, right?" Reina asked.

As he tried to concoct an excuse, mercifully his phone buzzed. It was a message from Yasushi calling things off at the last minute. His father had returned from camp unexpectedly and wanted to discuss something important with him. It was a strange choice of words, but Mamoru decided not to ask.

"I guess I'm free now." He said, showing her his LINE messages.

He felt his phone vibrate again. It was an irate message from Kodai, complaining his train on the Nara Line was almost at Uji. He had travelled across the city only to be told at the last moment their plans were cancelled. It seemed the day had soured for everyone no matter what they did.

"I don't feel like talking to anyone right now," Mamoru said, attempting to preempt any of her offers. "I'm just going to head home."

Reina's smile almost seemed painful. He received the same look from her he had seen at Demachi Masugata when they visited that café. Her eyes looked as if they were wilting.

Mamoru was unable to bear that look. "Sorry," he muttered as he turned away. He gave an obligatory wave goodbye as he returned to the station and sank onto one of the benches.

Mamoru did not know what to feel. On the one hand, they were right that his responsibilities as a DigiDestined would not go away any time soon. It would eventually be over, though it would come at the price of Hagurumon leaving him forever. How cruel this all was. The only reason they received a Digimon partner was to fight. An obligation that consumed the formative years of their lives. Only to disappear when they settled down and became proper adults, leaving them with nothing.

Kodai's next message was expected. The Nara Line was a limited express train that only stopped at certain stations. He had not gotten off at Rokujizo station which made his next stop Obaku. Mamoru declined his offer to meet, wishing that his train would arrive so he could leave the station. Staying there only brought back more memories of his three, mostly carefree, years in school.

His attempt to sink into a daze was interrupted by another barrage of notification. There was a Digimon appearance at Manpukuji temple, a little over a hundred meters from Obaku station. Before Mamoru even had time to curse to himself, a message came in from Reina saying that she could handle it herself. He could feel his gut tighten up as he processed her statement. It was not prudent to go alone to confront a wild Digimon. Despite knowing that, Mamoru still felt an overwhelming amount of reluctance. His breathing turned ragged as he tried to come to a decision.

Mamoru received a follow-up message before he could type his own. Reina was spot on about how he felt: exhausted, frustrated, despondent. She made a point that he could not resist. Now that Digivolving to Angewomon was an option for her, it was unlikely that he would be needed. The Digimon appearances since Kyoto Tower had died down to only a handle of rookie and champion level Digimon. Reina's words had an alluring effect, telling him he had already done enough. She would take this one.

A strange kind of paralysis came over Mamoru. While there was knot forming in his gut, there was no tension in his limbs at all. He felt his grip weaken on his D-4 as another message came in. Reina told the rest of their group that they both were going to the temple. Yasushi responded with a thumbs up, thanking them for handling it since he was busy with family.

The train finally rolled into the station, forcing Mamoru to stand up despite his discomfort. He trudged towards the door as the carriages grounded to a halt. The sound of heavy footfall and panting shattered the dull afternoon atmosphere of the station. Turning toward the train's front, he saw a familiar figure clad in a leather bomber jacket charging towards the exit.

"How come you're still here?" Kodai said, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him. "You look like shit."

Sweat had broken out all over his face as he waited for the train despite it being winter. Kodai's reminder sent chills all over his exposed skin as he finally registered the dampness.

"I'm fine." He lied. "I was just heading home."

"Reina said you were with her." Kodai kept a wide stance, ready to rush off at any moment.

"She told me she could handle it by herself."

He immediately regretted saying that. A swift strike landed on his cheek, sending Mamoru reeling. The train doors closed shut as he recovered, preventing any of the bewildered onlookers from intervening.

"What is wrong with you." Kodai massaged the back of his left hand. He had held back, refraining from using his right hand or throwing a full-on punch. "If you're okay then why did you let her go alone?"

"I'm not… really." Mamoru found it challenging to explain. Would Kodai even take his concerns seriously? He was not sure he could handle being dismissed now, even if Kodai had a good point.

"Is it about your grades?"

"Why would you say that?"

"It's the only thing you give a damn about more than being a DigiDestined."

Mamoru could not find a reply, hesitating at what Kodai might be getting at.

"Look, I get that you're not satisfied with just passing like me." Kodai for all his brashness still retained enough insight into other people. Though it was not a difficult conclusion to come to given most of their exams happened simultaneously.

"You got to suck it up until we can find a solution." It was optimistic of Kodai to think that this surge of Digimon was ever going to end. "I don't know when, but we have to keep fighting."

As he said that he dragged Mamoru toward the exit forcing him into a run. It was difficult to keep up with him as they dashed down the street toward the temple. Kodai had deliberately slowed down to allow them to run abreast.

"I know it sucks—" he said in between breaths. Mamoru was not convinced he actually understood why it was so painful beyond the obvious, but he did not have the lung capacity to reply.

"but spare a thought—for the others— like Nagato. I know Yasushi—did okay enough—to get into—Doshisha—that's pretty good. Nagato didn't make it anywhere."

Though Kodai's words were choppy, that statement felt like it winded Mamoru even more than running. Nagato had completely failed his exams.

They passed through the temple's outer gate, continuing past a bond as they made their way to the inner courtyard. The black pines that lined the pathways shook as a loud thud came from the northern shrine. Reina's unmistakable scream cut through the air. The knot in his stomach tightened even further, making him want to throw up. He had been disgustingly careless.

Kodai sprinted ahead, materialising Bearmon from his Digivice as he passed through another large doorway. Mamoru lagged behind, catching his breath as he got Hagurumon out of his Digivice. The pebbles in the zen garden had been thrown into disarray. The once neat lines painstakingly made using a rake were unrecognisable. Reina lay on the pathway, sobbing as she held Salamon in her arms.

"What happened?" Kodai had his Digivice held out in a ready position as he moved in front of her.

"It came—out of nowhere." Reina struggled to string together her words between sobs. "It beat Angewomon."

Mamoru's spine shuddered as he heard that. Whatever foe they were about to face defeated an ultimate level Digimon easily.

"What kind of Digimon was it? Where did it go." Kodai's barrage of questions was unrelenting, giving her no time to reply.

Reina turned away, lifting her finger towards the shrine in front of them. As Mamoru concentrated on the building, its red lacquer exterior seemed slowly faded into a dull grey. Quickly looking around, he confirmed that it was not his vision that was failing. The muted colours crept across the entire shrine in front of them, engulfing it in a grey hue, washing out all its colours.

There was a ripple in the sea of grey as the snout of a large red beast emerged. It was some kind of portal, revealing only the head and front claws of a creature. The Digimon was entirely reptilian, a titanic crimson crocodile that would have been multiple busses long if fully emerged. His Digivice gave him petrifying information as it completed its analysis. Leviamon was a mega level, demon lord Digimon. What hope did they have against a power like this?

"Digivolving is difficult here for some reason," Reina said as she backed away behind the two boys.

"I think I've experienced something like this before," Mamoru said, tapping the Digivolution function on his D-4. Sure enough, Hagurumon failed to evolve to champion level. "This is just like Arashiyama."

"Reina did it somehow." Kodai snapped back. The mega level Digimon was slowly beginning to stir, its eyes sluggishly searching the surroundings.

"I don't know." Her voice quavering. "It took a lot of effort."

Mamoru hated the sound of that, but he had very little to lose with the academic year over. The sound of waves permeated the air, making it difficult to concentrate. They were hardly soothing like the real ocean, having an unnatural quality to them. The sound of water lapping at the shore grated his mind as it leaked through the portal.

Kodai was the first to break through, his D-4 pulsing bright orange as his partner began to Digivolve. "Mamoru! We need Wisemon."

He forced himself to channel the feelings he tapped into when Digivolving. They were clouded as if the energy had been drained from the power he was drawing on. There was no increase in the alacrity of his thoughts or sharpness in his perception. At that moment, everything was muddled, his mind unable to create any battle plans. Despite it feeling awry, his Digivice responded, turning purple as Hagurumon transformed.

"We just need to push it back to wherever it's coming from," Kodai yelled as GrapLeomon sprung into action.

The lion Digimon's kick slammed right into the Leviamon's snout but had little effect. There was a short grunt of pain from the demon lord but nothing more. The gigantic Digimon remained unphased, continuing its lethargic movements. Wisemon followed up GrapLeomon's attack with a blast of lightning only to have it deflect off its scales.

"Be careful," Reina said, tightening her arms around Salamon. "It can't attack with the rest of its body, but it can breathe fire. That's how it defeated Angewomon."

Leviamon's nostrils flaired, releasing a prismatic coloured smoke. As the clouds drifted in to the portal, the colour was sucked out of them before they disappeared entirely. Heat was beginning to radiate from the demon lord, a sure sign that it was preparing to use its attack. They were surrounded by buildings making it impossible to dodge without setting the temple ablaze. Angewomon must have used herself as a shield to prevent any damage.

"We're running out of time," Kodai said, recognising the same danger. "We need to try it."

Kodai dashed forward, placing himself directly in the path of the impending attack. He had no intention of drawing it away. Force was going to be met with force in a reckless display of courage. The back of his D-4 pulsed again, the entire casing turning orange instead of just the lining. Through the glowing light that engulfed GrapLeomon, Mamoru could see the Digimon take on more bestial features. The robotic components disappeared as his fangs grew longer and stood on all fours.

Emerging from his Digivolution, the sabertoothed lion let loose a roar before charging Leviamon. Grappling the snout of the wild Digimon, SaberLeomon was on his hind legs, front claws digging into its scales. Cracks rippled across the pavement from the force exerted by the lion as he attempted to push his foe back.

"Mamoru, I can't do this alone." Kodai had one hand clutched on his head from the strain.

It was already difficult to Digivolve to Wisemon, much less to a stage he had never reached before. But Mamoru saw the desperation in Reina's eyes. She angled her shoulder towards the beast, shielding Salamon while keeping their foe in view. Kodai was unflinching, remaining directly behind his partner as more smoke and fire erupted from Leviamon's nostrils.

His gut continued to tighten as he tried to force a further Digivolution from his D-4. Mamoru felt a weight constrict his chest and press down on his shoulders, forcing him to kneel. He wanted to cry in frustration, but he could not summon his voice. Not even tears could well up in his eyes. Without strength to save his friends, what was he good for? He and Wisemon failed to save Gatomon at Kyoto Tower. Today he selfishly abandoned Reina. After all this time, he still had nothing to show for it. Not personal satisfaction from his other goals, just complete failure from trying to do everything.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" Kodai had to shout to overcome the sound of rumbling flames in the belly of the beast.

"I can't…" Mamoru's breathing had become so laboured that he had to look up to clear his airway.

"Like hell you can't."

Mamoru's shout was closer to a screech, his anger boiling over. There were finally tears that obscured his vision. But through the corner of his eye, he could see that his Digivice had responded to him. Holding it out in front of him, he had expected to see a completely purple case. Turning to his partner, Wisemon was encased in a pitch-black shadow identical to the new colour of his D-4.

The shadow melted away, forcing Mamoru to avert his gaze. Wisemon's evolution still retained a humanoid shape and could still fly despite his lack of wings. Each time he attempted to look directly at his partner, he was forced to turn away from the nausea that overwhelmed him. He could only make out the dark purple and sea green colours on his Digimon. What scared him more was the ragged appearance of his partner's ears and collar.

His partner raised his giant arm, veins popping as dark red energy coalesced in his palm. Sparks began to arc from for the dark Digimon striking the space around them. Mamoru instinctively dived toward Reina, attempting to shield her but his legs could not carry him far enough. Falling short, he could see the terror in Reina's eyes at what his partner had become.

"It's a fallen angel." As she said that, the sound of crackling electricity became overwhelming.

The fallen angel shaped the energy into a crackling spear of lightning and prepared to launch his attack. Mamoru could not tell if he would attack the Leviamon or SaberLeomon. Though too weak to shout any commands, he could feel that the bond with his partner had disappeared. Without that connection between them, Mamoru lost any control or influence he had.

"SaberLeomon, Howling Crusher!"

Kodai's partner leapt backwards, crouching now to prepare his attack. The fallen angel let loose his attack, the spear slamming into Leviamon. The demon lord howled in pain, his snout raised into the air from the shock of the impact. SaberLeomon seized the opportunity lunging forward with his right paw, slamming his claws into the exposed underside of their foe.

Leviamon began to sink back through the grey portal, spewing fire into the air as its cries echoed throughout the temple. Kodai turned around to celebrate only to be confronted by Mamoru's partner, still concentrating more energy into his palms.

"Cherubimon?" SaberLeomon jumped in front of Kodai, recognising the danger. "Mamoru, why is he like that?"

"Please, stop," Mamoru pleaded as he stumbled to his feet.

Energy continued to collect in the palms of the black Cherubimon, preparing a barrage of lightning. SaberLeomon starred down his opponent but like his partner was hesitant to attack. Kodai could have probably easily beaten him if things were normal. Despite the unnatural Digivolution, Mamoru knew that Cherubimon was exuding incredibly power. Though its source was troubling.

Lightning lashed out, almost striking Reina. SaberLeomon deflected the wild attacks with his mane keeping Kodai safe. But all the other mega level Digimon could do was remain on guard. There were no more options. No one else was coming, and no one here could defeat the rampaging Cherubimon. Throwing his Digivice to the ground, Mamoru began advancing toward his berserk partner. The nausea was overwhelming, and the electricity was landing dangerously close to him. His partner completely ignored him, continuing to accumulate more energy in a swirling orb above them.

With a final push, his legs gave out as he embraced Cherubimon. His partner's body was soft despite his dark appearance. It was unusual compared to the metal exterior of Hagurumon he was used to. Mamoru expected to be struck down by an electrical attack at any moment. But it never came, his vision fading out.

It was pleasant to be woken up by a beautiful, obsidian haired girl. Or it would have been if her face was not red from crying. The sky had finally given way, unleashing a drizzle. He wished he could tell the raindrops from the tears.


	14. Falling Sakura

**Chapter 14: Falling Sakura**

The fight's aftermath was the wounded attempting to help the wounded, failing miserably. Reina carried a hollow look in her eyes as she sullenly helped Mamoru limp away from Manpukuji. She still had the strength to hold him up, as tired as she was from Digivolving. The sluggishness of her movements, almost a stupor at times told him all he needed to know. He was the same, feeling emotionally exhausted. As if his heart had fallen away into the depths of his guts. Kodai, on the other hand, seemed only to be physically fatigued. Though his legs threatened to buckle occasionally, he made it through with a smile on his face once they reached Reina's house.

This time no onigiri or oolong tea was waiting for them. They all sat slumped over in her room, remaining distant from each other. Reina had set Mamoru down by her bed before collapsing herself next to him. With some effort, he hauled himself to her kotatsu and placed his head on it. How could she still want to be near him? After he had let her go alone to do something she absolutely hated. Would his presence have made a difference? He knew that was just wishful thinking. Leviamon had only been stopped with the power of two other mega-level Digimon and Kodai had been the one to force that power out. Without him, they would probably have been crushed.

"So this is where you live," Kodai said, still having the energy to look around.

Mega Digivolution should have taken an even greater toll on him. Yet it appeared that they had gained enough experience to offset some of its effects. Mamoru could only imagine how easy it must be for the original DigiDestined. Crest, original or not, had almost nothing to do with their power. Maybe they made later stages easier to access, but he was sure that it did nothing for their exhaustion.

The other two remain silent as Kodai continued. "I guess the only room we haven't seen is mine. Though there is nothing much to look at."

"So what's there?" Reina tried to humour him, but there were rasps as her voice verged on breaking.

"Oh nothing much," Kodai was not even looking at them, staring at the ceiling. "Just some posters of the Seibu Lions. Baseball stuff."

Mamoru could not care less but could not bring himself to say anything. What was their plan now? Just sit around until they got better? It was not as if they had anywhere pressing to be. But he did not want to stay here with Kodai having no grasp of their emotional states. As for Reina, he could not bear the shame of being around her. Just looking at her made it feel as if his insides were being eaten away. How could she not be angry at him?

"Today was something, huh?" Kodai might as well have been speaking to thin air. Neither of them could respond. Though it was unclear if it was for lack of energy or will.

"First time I've seen a mega-level Digimon." He continued. "it was even a demon lord. We better report this to Koshiro-san and the rest. The digital distortions normally just pixelise the place. That grey ocean portal was something else. Do you think it has anything to do with the evolution virus?"

Despite the lack of reply, he continued to ramble on, pressing for an answer. "Hey, what do you guys think? We are all supposed to be responsible for the rest. Though Yasushi and Nagato are about to enter university now. So, I suppose we shouldn't treat them like any other kouhai anymore."

Mamoru knew that Kodai was not this obtuse. While he could be insensitive with his forceful personality, he could read a room. Was this because he was unnerved by what happened? It was the simplest explanation for his constant chatter into the void. It was plain to see Mamoru's mega level Digivolution had gone wrong or at the very least was unstable. Yet it was somehow still stronger than SaberLemon. Their victory was hardly convincing, let alone replicable.

"What do you think we should tell Koshiro-san? Should we ask them to come down to Kyoto again just in case? Or would that be too irresponsible since we are supposed to take care of things here?"

"Kodai," Reina finally spoke up. "are you alright?"

Mamoru was hoping she would tell him to shut up. Although she seemed to have the same suspicious, her personality made it unlikely for any direct questions.

"Why wouldn't I be? We finally Digivolved to mega!" Kodai's excitement could not conceal the quavering in his voice. Perhaps, it was terror masquerading as exhaustion. "If we can find a way to harness the power of Cherubimon—"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" For the first time in his memory, Kodai had been stunned into silence. "Can't you tell…"

"Mamoru… your mega evolution could be the answer to all our problems. Even SaberLeomon couldn't hurt Leviamon."

"I won't do that again,"

Kodai looked as if he was about to reply but finally turned to see their expression. Mamoru adverted his gaze and buried his head in his hands on the table. There was a soft sigh from Kodai before he faced away, leaning his side on the wall. Silence overcame the room, only punctuated by the occasional sob from Reina. It cleaved into Mamoru each time he heard it. There was no rest for the wicked like him.

As dusk fell, Kodai had finally dozed off. Mamoru summoned what little energy he had recovered and forced himself to stand up and stagger to the door. Reina jumped at the noise of his movements. Her face was still red, the light makeup now clearly smudged. Mamoru had failed to notice her effort earlier. He wanted to say something, anything. Even if it was about the colours running on her face. It appeared she could not find her voice either, looking on as he walked away in silence.

He had been ready to leave without a goodbye a few hours ago, though that gave him little consolation now.

* * *

Days turned into weeks as Mamoru languished in his room. Hagurumon gave none of his usual protest at being cooped up, both a welcome respite and a worrying sign. The temptation to ask about his partner's horrific transformation was countered by an existential fear of what he could discover. Withholding his question would not make the answer disappear, but Mamoru was certain he lacked any strength to confront it.

There were scattered attempts by Noriko to contact him, probably as a proxy for Kodai. As much as it irritated him, it was undeniable that their de facto leader had made the smart choice. At least Noriko had a shot at getting him on the line. He would have just outright ignored or rejected any messages from Kodai. Conversely, he had been tempted to contact Reina but always found he could not prepare the words for it. For the first time, he was intimidated by her literary brilliance. Any sentences he strung together felt like they would wither away in the eyes of someone so well-read.

That was a part of him that wished Reina would reach out to him. He could not dispel the dread that washed over him, knowing she probably resented him. Was it likely? Mamoru's perception of things had become too distorted for him to give a firm answer to even himself. Even though he was cut off from information by choice, control over his mind was limited as it ran wild with the possibilities. Only hope that he could make amends could break this cycle. Though he could not find that hope on his own. It was a vicious cycle of wild deliberations that quickly spiralled downward.

Close to a month had passed almost imperceptibly. The only indicator of the passage of time was the blooming plants he began to see through the window. Mamoru's parents could not tell anything was amiss. Lying through his teeth, they believed that he was intensely studying for the next semester. It was easy enough to get away with. After all, he was quite detached from them. It was not that there were any particular problems between them, there were just no particular bonds either. Mamoru wished that his lie was actually true. At least he would be lightening a future burden. All there was now was a state of perpetual stagnation.

On a cold spring morning, he was abruptly awakened by his mother. In a daze, he failed to question why anyone could come to pay him a visit. As he shuffled toward the living room, he heard a familiar cloying voice that was met with an equally familiar snark. The mystery of how Noriko and Yasushi had found their way into his house was quickly answered once they came into view. Sprawled out on his couch, looking a little too comfortable, was his kouhai in Todoh High's distinctive brown sailor fuku.

"Let me guess," Mamoru started as he sauntered towards his sofa, "you told my mom that we are friends from high school."

"A very close and beloved kouhai." The energy in her words was both contagious and exhausting at the same time.

"I can't believe she bought that," He clasped his forehead, feeling a growing exasperation. "I graduated a year ago."

"Senpai, if you think about it, one year is not that long."

"For the record," Yasushi said, his expression just as dour as Mamoru's. "I only went along with this because we couldn't come up with anything better."

"Hey," Noriko exclaimed, adding a pout for completely unnecessary and ineffectual dramatic effect. "you're supposed to be supporting me. It's not like I want to wear my school uniform more. We had to find a way to convince his parents that we are actually his friends."

"So why are both of you here?"

"You really shut down, didn't you," Yasushi said, in-between sips of oolong tea Mamoru's mother had given them. "Open LINE."

"I left my Digivice in my room." Mamoru's words prompted a simultaneous sigh from both of them.

"Senpai, this is important."

"It's always something important." He groaned.

"Well, this is not Kodai-important, it's important-important." It seemed that Noriko, and likely everyone else, had finally picked up on their leader's occasional warped sense of urgency.

"Didn't he tell you what happened?" It was a bitter and reticent reply.

"Yeah?" There was no trace of hesitation. "There was some crazy battle, and you guys were exhausted. I thought you would be better by now. It's pretty tough handling the appearances without you and Reina-senpai."

Despite his attempts at control, there was still a visible flinch from Mamoru at hearing about Reina. His short burst of emotion from him was thankfully misinterpreted.

"Sanada-san," Yasushi said as he sat up straight. "I want to apologise. I should have been there as well that day."

His junior's earnest statement ate away at him even more. He should have been there too.

"It's okay, I'm sure it was important." Mamoru felt his chest crumple a little further at his own statement. Any reason for letting Reina go alone was better than his complete lack of one.

"Anyway, we need you Senpai." Noriko began to employ a cloying voice, unknowingly doing her best Asuka impression thus far. "There's an important meeting happening today with the DigiDestined from Tokyo."

"Our partners haven't Digivolved to ultimate stage yet," Yasushi added. "But we are fairly certain the rest of us should be able to. Even then, you are the only other person who can go to mega besides Kodai-senpai." He sounded eerily like Kodai with his fixation on Digivolution.

"Since the two of you are here, who went to get Reina?"

"No one?" Noriko tiled her head as she responded. "She replied to the LINE group days ago."

"What exactly did Kodai say happened at Mapukuji?" Mamoru's eyes narrowed as he spoke. Noriko's lack of hesitance had raised his suspicions, but surely, they would have checked up on Reina if the rest of them knew what had actually transpired.

"You guys had to mega Digivolve to fight off some demon lord right?" Her reply was mildly confused but still nonchalant.

"No one is wondering why Reina's angel type Digimon wasn't able to defeat a demon type?"

"Hmm, I hadn't thought about that." Though Noriko was the only one being vocal, Yasushi's expression had also become contemplative. "It was a mega level. Maybe angel type Digimon get stronger when they are together? I guess that's why Cherubimon was so strong."

Kodai had kept them in the dark. Maybe it was a prudent decision since his botched Digivolution would have unnerved everyone else. The last thing Kodai would want with his constant attempts to further push the group's power level. Neither of them dwelled much on the question he posed. Though Yasushi's scepticism looked like it had been peaked, even if briefly. As questionable as Kodai's methods were, Mamoru decided to at least hear his rationale first. It was fortunate that there had been a one-month gap since the incident for Mamoru to recover his composure.

Yasushi checked his watch before promptly standing up. "We better get to Nijo soon."

"Why there?"

"Kodai-san booked a meeting room at Ritsumeikan's campus." Noriko sprung to her feet as well. "We've got less than an hour. Hurry up and change senpai."

"Wait, what's this about?"

"Some important update. We don't have the details."

Mamoru had literally nothing going on with classes still a little over a week away from starting. Yet he did not want to go anywhere or do anything related to Digimon, barring some catastrophic emergency. As far as he was concerned, Kodai could set the group's agenda or direction in whatever way he wanted.

"Not interested. I promise to check LINE from now on okay. Just give me the summary once this is over. I've got nothing to add anyway."

"Kodai-senpai told us specifically to get you." Yasushi insisted.

"Of course he did." Mamoru attempted to wave them off as he shuffled back to his room.

"Reina-senpai will be there." Noriko's sickeningly sweet voice halted him in his tracks.

"Even more reason not to go." It was curious Noriko of all people would pull that card. Too bad it would have been mildly effective only a month ago. Now it was a complete backfire. They really did know nothing.

"Are you okay?" Yasushi had just picked up something was amiss.

Noriko grabbed his shoulder from behind, making him jump at her touch. "Senpai," her Asuka impression was gone, replaced with a sober tone. "please? I'm not sure how hard it has been, but we need you."

"We? Or Kodai?" Mamoru bit his words as he pivoted on his heels to face her. "What if I told you I don't have access to mega evolution. Would I really need to be at the meeting then?"

"Mamoru…" Yasushi's lips were pursed, his eyes flickering back and forth from concern and confusion. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't want to blindly guess. The Tokyo DigiDestined are the ones who said we should all be there. I'm sure it's actually important."

"We're all from Todoh, right?" Noriko gave him a beaming smile. "You, me, Reina-senpai, even Yasushi."

There was a groan from the other boy, but his resolute expression showed his tacit agreement. Mamoru wondered why a part of him insisted on attempting to remain sombre. Until today, it had been the path of least resistance. But staying dour was now laborious with Noriko's infectious energy.

The tension hung in the air as he paused to collect his thoughts. "Give me a bit to wash up and get changed."

Noriko did a small bounce as she heard this, latching onto Yasushi. He attempted to contain her elation, though there was no serious effort, letting her excitement spill out as he stood still.

Mamoru easily overheard her supposed whispers to Yasushi through his bedroom door. "See, I told you I know senpai. Even though he likes to appear reluctant, he actually likes us."

He let out a huff at her statement. It was an interesting interpretation for someone not privy to his thoughts. Yet, it did feel emotionally visceral to hear someone else say that.

Their train on the Sagano Line rocketed out of Kyoto central station, the scenery rushing past. They were running slightly late, but their trip from Uji so far had been uneventful. Mamoru ignored the pointless back and forth between his two companions. The atmosphere in Kyoto had changed in the one month he spent cloistered away.

The sakura trees were in full bloom across Kyoto, close to reaching their seasonal height. There were some trees with rich pink blossoms, but most of the sakura he saw ghostly white. Only a keen observer would find a tinge of the palest pink in their petals. Without the greening of the other vegetation, it was easy to mistake the flowers for a blanket of snow as they fell from their branches.

What was unmistakable was the damaged exterior of Kyoto Tower. Some of the repair scaffolding had been taken down, but progress appeared to be slow. While there was no structural damage, the punctured steel sheets were a prominent reminder of their fight. Unlike the small potholes at Sanneizaka or even the disturbed Zen garden at Mapukuji, it was an onerous endeavour to fix such a prominent building.

Mamoru could almost forget that he was in Kyoto whenever he visited the area around Nijo station. It was much more built-up than the historic parts of Kyoto. The wide four-lane road was flanked by buildings all more than five stories tall. Their architecture looked more at home in Odaiba or even Shinjuku with their sleek modern glass facades. The only reminder that he was still in Japan's historical capital was the knowledge that Nijo Castle was less than a kilometre away.

Ritsumeikan University's Suzaku Campus was a curious building. Its most dominating feature was its red brick construction, mimicking the structures of British universities built in the late 19th century. Despite its supposedly historic look, the building's exterior was also distinctly modern with its multi-storied windows. The interior was equally polished, the varnish on its extensive wooden fixtures still gleaming, hinting at its recent completion. While Mamoru liked Kyodai's Yoshida Campus, it was hardly as pristine with some the buildings beginning to show their age. But it was an unfair comparison, given how rich private universities like Ritsumei were.

They were able to navigate the labyrinthine corridors and elevators of the building thanks to Yasushi's efforts. There was a glint in Noriko's eyes as she zeroed in on a door further down the hallway. Completely disregarding manners, she clamped down on the handle and burst into the room.

"We have arrived!" She announced as Yasushi and Mamoru quietly shuffled in behind her.

Aside from the Kyoto DigiDestined, the only immediately recognisable faces were Takeru and Hikari. The other four from Tokyo he had yet to meet gave them a polite but hesitant smile. It felt a little more reassuring once he noticed they were all around the same age. It was hard to imagine how someone three years their senior like Koshiro would react to something so juvenile. Noriko was fortunate that she had not made a mistake. It would be impossible to explain a girl in her high school uniform exploding into a packed seminar with two students from another university in tow.

Mamoru was greeted with a curt nod from Kodai as he surveyed the sterile-looking classroom for a place to sit. Kodai seemed to be unphased at seeing him again, or more likely, he was excellent at masking his unease. There seemed to be nothing particularly amiss with the rest of their group. Natsuki and Yuki were huddled together, both looking at the latter's laptop. Reina seemed engaged in her conversation with Hikari and Takeru. Perhaps he could have gleaned more information with a closer inspection, but the heat creeping to his face grew more unbearable each passing moment.

The most curious sight in the room was Nagato, his legs propped up on a table. No one could really blame him. Being in a university after completely failing his entrance exam must be a melancholic experience. But Nagato's eyes told a different story whenever he opened them. They darted around the room as if he were attempting to absorb every bit of the environment before becoming overwhelmed and sealing shut. This pattern repeated multiple times as if he could not decide if he wanted to relish his experience at Ritsumeikan or was suffering because of it. As Kodai's closest kouhai, he probably wanted to come here more than anything.

The noise died down as Kodai approached the lectern, followed by a raven-haired boy in a black polo-shirt. He looked rather reserved despite his athletic build. The only thing that stood out to him was how his hair was just a shade lighter than Reina's solid obsidian colour.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming down," Kodai said, looking directly at Mamoru. "Koshiro-san isn't here today, but other DigiDestined from Tokyo are here instead. This is Ichijoji Ken-san."

The boy bowed at the mention of his name before taking over Kodai. "We are all the same age, so I don't think we need to be that formal. Even though I'm giving the updates, I suppose Daisuke is technically our leader…"

The Tokyo group fought to suppress their laughter at his statement. Most prominently a girl wearing a bandana in her close to lavender hair held her arms out, forming a large X in protest. This immediately prompted another boy with unruly, almost spikey hair to grumble unintelligibly.

"Come on Miyako," Ken said, maintaining his composure better than the rest of his friends. "Before we get into the details, I think we should introduce everyone."

Inoue Miyako was actually the oldest person in the room, about to start her final year doing liberal arts at Sophia University. In contrast, the youngest member of the Tokyo group, Hida Iori, was just about to start a law degree at Tokyo University. Even though he was the same age as Nagato and Yasushi, he was noticeably shorter than them. Iori was apparently following in Ken's footsteps, himself a third-year law student at the same school. That left Motomiya Daisuke, an oddity among them, working as an apprentice Ramen chef at Ginza restaurant. Mimi immediately came to mind, being the only other DigiDestined who chose to forgo university and immediately start a career.

They were a lively bunch, making Mamoru somewhat envious. The DigiDestined from Kyoto were comparably stiff as a group of eight, only their New Year's shrine trip feeling genuinely organic. But more importantly, they all seemed at ease with their responsibilities. He hoped that it was due to their greater power and not their years of experience. At least the former could be acquired in short order.

In the short lull after their introductions, Miyako piped up, pushing them back on topic. "As you all heard, Daisuke spends most of his time making noodles, so he's the worst at explaining things."

"You said you like them," he whined in reply.

Iori shook his head before giving a lukewarm reply. "That's not the point."

Daisuke looked poised for a retort until Takeru stepped in. "Let's all stay focus, please. You always get like this."

It was a small wonder that Mamoru's initial meeting with Takeru and Hikari had been so uncomfortable. Aside from Ken and Iori, the rest seemed to have little regard for how outsiders perceived them. While their earnestness was refreshing to see, it was challenging to interact with them when they were in their own world.

A quick nod from Hikari seemed to have bought Daisuke's silence, allowing Ken to continue. "Koshiro-san, Taichi-san and Yamato-san are all busy preparing for the next major convergence event, so they sent us to help out here. I know school is starting soon, but we need to keep our attention on this."

From the corner of his eye, Mamoru saw Nagato flinch at his statement before quickly regaining composure. There was nothing much that could be done for him. Telling the other DigiDestined would be more painful than enduring their unwitting remarks.

"Spare a thought for me, I actually work for a living." Daisuke definitely had a penchant for derailing things. "I only have so much leave. Do you know how hard it is to get time off from work as the most junior guy? Good thing my boss likes Veemon."

"Enough already" Iori's hiss still sounded remarkably subdued. The younger boy's words prompted Miyako to spring into action, grabbing Daisuke from behind and covering his mouth.

"Ichijoji help! I'm—" Daisuke's muffled voice was still clearly audible but completely incomprehensible.

Takeru and Hikari did not bother to intervene, giggling to each other behind the rest of their friends. Mamoru wondered how they achieved anything given the abject chaos unfolding before him. Though the same could be said about the Kyoto group and their dysfunctional communication. Too familiar and too open was probably better than distant and secretive.

"Everyone…" Ken was exasperated. "Please stop. Can we save this for dinner or something? You're making the others feeling uncomfortable."

Miyako promptly released her vice grip. She bowed slightly in her seat to everyone else, her expression having rapidly changed from a scowl to a polite smile. "Sorry, Ken-chan."

"We'll settle this when we get back to Sora-senpai's house," Daisuke grumbled.

"Last interruption okay?" They all gave Ken a nod, somewhat unconvincingly. All the Kyoto DigiDestined could do was smile and remain pliant.

Ken cleared his throat before continuing. "As you all know, the next convergence event is due to happen anytime from today until the first of April."

Mamoru's arms instinctively jerked as he heard Ken's statement. He was expecting some kind of administrative update instead of the bombshell they were receiving. Scanning the room, the Tokyo DigiDestined were remarkably unphased with Daisuke even looking excited. To his relief, the others from Kyoto seemed to have been equally thrown off. He was not lost because of his own negligence at keeping track of updates.

"The Digimon alert system has been getting more precise with its predictions since they put that third satellite in orbit. Yamato-san told me that the final one has been delayed a bit, so the launch window has been pushed into early summer. Hopefully, the typhoon season won't stall it further. By then, we should have everything prepared to repair the barrier between the two worlds."

Yuki hammered away at her keyboard, somehow able to comprehend what Ken was saying. The only other person nodding along was Kodai. Judging from the lack of pauses or context in Ken's updates, he was under the impression that they knew what he was talking about. He could rationalise Yuki understanding this with no other information. After all, she was the only one that had any idea of how the digital distortions were detected. But he was certain, Kodai did not tell them what they should know.

Mamoru subtly pushed his chair closer to Yuki and tapped her on the shoulder. No one else seemed to notice, focused on Ken's continuing explanation of something called the Butterfly System. She flinched slightly before turning her head.

"Yuki, why don't we know anything about this?" Mamoru attempted to control his tone, but some accusatory notes slipped through.

Natsuki noticed that her friend had stopped typing and started to listen in on their conversation as well.

"It is very technical," Yuki replied, laconic as ever.

"You know that's not what I mean." Mamoru struggled to contain his voice to a whisper. Her reply had gone beyond her usual verbal austerity. Almost feeling like it was intended to obfuscated and obstructed him.

Natsuki grabbed the other girl's arm with a concerned look in her eyes. It was hard to remember sometimes that Yuki was actually a year younger. Especially with Natsuki's very tender appeal to her.

The stoic girl relented. "I do not know all the details that Kodai does. He told me to keep it quiet from the rest. I only found out because I was talking to Koshiro-san about the Butterfly System." It was a cascade of information by her standards.

"That's the name of the satellite system that we are using to track Digimon appearances, right?"

Yuki gave him a curt nod before returning to her laptop screen. It was all Mamoru needed to know. He wanted to give Kodai the benefit of the doubt, but his mood had soured again. Confronting him in front of everyone would only corrode their group further. This left the only option as waiting until they were alone, as much as Mamoru dreaded that scenario.

"We have an idea of what is causing the convergence events this time." This got everyone's attention once again, their gazes zeroing in on Ken. "We haven't heard from Gennai or had much contact from our friends in the Digital World recently. More troublingly, we haven't seen the Digimon Sovereigns either."

"What's that?" Noriko blurted out.

There were some confused looks from the Tokyo DigiDestined, but Ken continued mostly unphased. "They are four beyond-mega level Digimon that protect the Digital World. Takenouchi-sensei from Kyoto University is almost certain they are based on the Four Symbols myth."

"So, are they like just missing or busy or something?" Noriko continued. She almost sounded foolish with her choice of words. But to anyone that knew her well, this was clearly a means to mine more information. Mamoru was now no longer the only one who realised they were being kept in the dark.

"We aren't exactly sure," Ken replied apologetically. Receiving a brief nod from Miyako, he continued to divulge more information. "It's disturbing to think about, but they may have been infected by the virus."

Another wave of disquiet rippled through the Kyoto DigiDestined before Yasushi posed the next question. "If they are at a stage beyond-mega, can they even Digivolve further?"

"We have no idea," Ken replied honestly. "They aren't ultra level Digimon like Omnimon or even Imperialdramon Paladin Mode. But the virus does have other effects like making Digimon go berserk. No one was sure how to deal with this. To be honest, we weren't that worried at first since the Digital World has its own ways of handling 'natural' phenomenon."

"What changed?" Yasushi continued.

"It was when you told us about your encounter with Leviamon and the Dark Ocean."

Yasushi looked as if he was about to follow up but contained himself. It was not a good time to show how disjointed they were in front of the original DigiDestined. Mamoru could only imagine the loss in confidence they would have if they found out who little they knew about each other.

Ken decided to continue with his explanation, sensing their confusion. "As Miyako might put it, the Digital World is just another dimension among many. The Dark Ocean is another dimension which seems to be connected to both our world and the Digital World. We've only been there a few times, but we know almost nothing about it. We don't really want to go back either."

Just hearing the name of that place brought chills. In the recesses of his mind, the dull sound of its unnatural waves was still grating at him. Reina was affected in the same way, blankly gazing off into the distance. Interestingly, Hikari seemed to have a similar reaction as well, which unsettled Mamoru even more.

"We suspected that most demon type Digimon actually originate and reside in the Dark Ocean dimension. Your battle with Leviamon confirmed this since this is the first time we've ever seen that Digimon. While plenty of threats like the Dark Masters and Myotismon have been dealt with, we never did finish off Daemon and the other demon lords. The Digital World is still a bit of an enigma, so it was hard to verify any of the rumours and stories about the existence of the seven demon lord Digimon."

"You think they're behind this." Yasushi mused.

"Possibly. The virus is a corruption of a core attribute of the Digital World: evolution. The Dark Ocean is the inverse of it, being a source of power that blocks Digivolution. There is probably a connection between the two." Ken's words sounded particularly bitter, carrying hints of familiarity with this power.

"The Sovereigns should also be immune to something like a regular virus. But they are probably under its influence since the virus has some unnatural connection to the Dark Ocean. It is the most like explanation for the convergences always occurring at the peak of each season."

"But, Mid-autumn was in September?" Noriko had a good point. While their battle at Kyoto Tower had happened in mid-winter, Takeru and Hikari's visit was at the end of autumn.

"It was the emotional height of autumn," Takeru explained. "Where the foliage had completely turned deep amber."

"We just entered the height of the sakura bloom in Kyoto," Natsuki absently added, breaking her bashful silence.

"It's probably going to get even worse," Ken continued. "The barrier has broken down further since winter. Spring also corresponds to the cardinal point in the East, which we know is Kyoto. One of the Sovereigns, Azulongmon, represents the Azure Dragon of the East. If he has been infected, he is about to reach the height of his power. When the barrier is breached again, there is probably going to a massive surge in Digimon here."

This explained the shreds of information he had heard when he met Jou-san. Mamoru had initially thought that having six other DigiDestined from Tokyo help out was excessive. Now it seemed like it was hardly enough. A silence hung over the room, only broken by the odd sound of people shuffling in their seats. It was a lot to take in; that they may be in the fight of their life mere days or even hours from now.

"Well, we'll just deal with them when they show up!" Daisuke said, punching his open left palm. While it helped alleviate some of the impending dread, it was not entirely convincing. "Ichijoji, is there anything else?"

"Not really? Unless Kodai-san wants to add on?"

Kodai shook his head. "Why don't we get some air? It's a nice spring day. We can show you guys around Kyoto too."

After some uncertain chatter, people began to start packing up their belongings in tacit agreement with Kodai's plan. Mamoru had brought only himself, leaving him with nothing to do but watch as the others prepare to leave. Natsuki appeared to be the most hesitant, fiddling with a lacquered wooden box she was carrying.

After some skittish head movements, she unexpected spoke up again. "Kodai-senpai!" She was unusually shrill. "Can we go for Hanami?"

"Flower viewing?" Kodai said, attempting to remain nonchalant. "Like at Nijo Castle?"

"Yes!" She clumsily stood up, almost fumbling the box she was carrying. "I mean, we should all go too."

There was a small sigh from Yuki as she nodded in approval. Only Mamoru caught it, being the nearest to her. While it was easy to just assume it was the reluctance to go outside of a computer genius, it sounded closer to an expression of embarrassment, at least vicariously.

"Heh…" Miyako had a sly smile on her face as she zeroed in on Ken.

The boy responded with a shrug and a soft smile before gesturing for her to lead the way.

"I wonder if you could use sakura in ramen." Daisuke mused as he filed out of the room.

"Please wait until I pass the bar," Iori said dryly, following him from behind. "Not even Ken will take up a negligent food poisoning case like that."

Everyone seemed to be excited, though Mamoru could still feel the undercurrents of the earlier revelations. There appeared to be an unspoken collective understanding that they did not want to think about the titanic battle ahead. As they left the university building, Mamoru attempted to find someone to walk with to ensure he avoided Reina. The Tokyo group was out of the question, leaving him to choose between Yasushi and Noriko, or Natsuki and Yuki. The latter two were unusually preoccupied, Yuki receiving a barrage of whispers with little reaction.

As he attempted to walk with Noriko and Yasushi, they instantly questioned him. "Senpai, normally you avoid me like the plague."

Mamoru was confounded at Noriko's display of awareness. "You're exaggerating…"

"I thought you would have had enough of us for today," Yasushi added.

Noriko leaned forward, shifty-eyed, before whispering to him and Yasushi. "You're not getting away from Reina-senpai. I already told Takeru-san and Hikari-san too."

He momentary shock was shatter as Noriko gave him a light shove backwards. As he regained his balance, Reina's face appeared only inches away from him. They both stood flustered, searching their minds for what to say.

"Takeru and I are going to spend most of the sakura viewing together," Hikari said, linking arms with her boyfriend. "We'll be following the group nearby, but Daisuke is always a bit much to deal with. Take care Reina-chan."

Takeru gave a small chuckle before the pair continued ahead, leaving Reina and Mamoru as the last people in their strung-out procession. Noriko and Yasushi had really done him in with their miniature conspiracy.


	15. Blooming Wisterias

**Chapter 15: Blooming Wisterias**

The early-spring air was cold but comfortable, carrying a fresh crispness seldom felt except outside Japan's monsoon seasons. The near torrential drizzle at the end of winter seemed to have exhausted itself, leaving Kyoto dry by the turn of the seasons. It was a welcome change from the damp frigid misery, making the DigiDestined's walk to Nijo Castle enjoyable.

That was for everyone except Mamoru and Reina, who were at the tail end of their group. They walked abreast along the castle's outer moat in a deafening silence. The gap between them was a peculiar size, not far enough to be complete strangers but too far apart to be comfortable from someone familiar. Though the physical distance seemed to pale in comparison to the emotional gulf between them.

Mamoru found himself easily distracted, unable to decide on anything to say. His mind wandered to anything else; the gentle swaying of the trees in the wind, the sakura slowly fluttering around them, the feeling of the petals he trod on. The only thing he could settle on was that Reina was also avoiding him. Though it was impossible to be sure of the exact reason.

The part of him that hoped she would act first had been quietly crushed as they continued walking towards the castle entrance. Yet, it was impossible to say he missed that vain hope. Although it had grown within him, carefully nurtured as a bulwark against his dread, it was distinctly pathetic. Why should Reina say anything? It was entirely his fault. Noriko's incessant glances backwards did not help matters, both distracting and pressuring him. There was much to doubt about her actions. It was hard to believe Noriko had concluded that a rift had developed between him and Reina, or worse, that they were an item to be egged on.

There was hardly a crowd as they passed through Higashi Gate. Though the Digimon attacks had been suppressing tourism for months, it was ironically the best time to visit with so few people. Despite the gilded wooden carvings on the exterior of the castle's Ninomaru Place, there was a distinct dullness in the building's surfaces. It was the vibrant blooms of the expansive gardens that breathed life into the massive compound.

With Natsuki now in the lead, the DigiDestined made their way deep inside Nijo Castle towards its keep. Effectively a castle within a castle, Honmaru palace sat within another set of walls and moat towards the western side of the grounds. They skirted the south side of the interior moat, reaching a small grove. A sweet scent gently floated toward them as they made their way to the little meadow's heart. The smell was both familiar yet odd considering it was early spring. Most plants had yet to flower, and the sakura was almost scentless.

"I found this place after I went to an Ikebana exhibition here in junior high." Natsuki's nervousness had hints of both unease and excitement.

"What's so special about it?" Kodai asked, walking slightly behind her. "There were plenty of good spots to settle down elsewhere in the castle."

While Natsuki's outburst at the end of their meeting made her plan seem impromptu, it had become clear there was a significant amount of planning put into it. While the Kyoto DigiDestined's bags were innocuous enough for a meeting, it had become clear they brought them to transport the picnic mats they were now unfolding.

"It's because of that," Natsuki announced as they passed the last row of sakura trees before a clearing.

The group halted in their tracks, spreading out into a line just. Mamoru and Reina hurried forward, curious to see what had pushed everyone into awed silence. Before them was a small meadow, the grass covered in vibrant patches of bright pink Creeping Phlox and deep azure Bluebells. The most stunning feature was a lone tree at the heart of the grove. Draped in magnificent lavender flowers, a grand wisteria tree was in full bloom.

"Wisteria normally blooms only a month from now," Natsuki said as she urged the rest forward. "It is the only place I found where you can see them with sakura."

Their captivation gradually wore away as they walked towards the tree to lay down their picnic mats. Daisuke seemed to be the least moved by the flowers and quickly opened his D-4. A small blue Digimon erupted out of his Digivice and sprinted towards the piles of sakura petals.

"Daisuke," Ken called out, "You remember what Koshiro-san said about Kyoto, right? It's probably not a good idea to let Veemon roam around."

"Bah, it'll be fine Ichijoji," He replied, not bothering to look back as he ran toward his partner. "No one can see us past all the line of trees."

Ken apologetically turned to the Kyoto DigiDestined who were congregating in the wisteria's shade.

"Digimon aren't the most popular around here. But I think it should be fine." Kodai said.

The lack of protest from the rest signalled their tacit agreement, prompting the other Digimon to burst forth from their Digivices. Though it had been a while since Hagurumon had been outside, he seemed less than enthusiastic. It was only with Salamon and Bearmon's cajoling that he joined their chase around the small meadow.

Mamoru had no desire to join the others out in the sun, remaining seated with their belongings in the shade. As he started upward through the branches, it became clear the wisteria was not actually a single tree. Being a climbing plant, it had wrapped itself around the trunk of a sakura tree; the wisteria branches interlocking with it, forming an outer ring of flowers. Its lilac-coloured flowers concealed the almost pure white cherry blossoms at the heart of the two trees.

"It's a very unique tree," Natsuki said as she laid down another picnic mat next to him. "the wisteria managed to grow without strangling its host sakura. Although they are two different plants, its almost like they are one hybrid, even blooming at the same time."

While Mamoru could not fully appreciate her explanation, he did not want to spoil one of the few times she was talkative and silently nodded along. The Kyoto DigiDestined seemed to lack the carefree spirit of their more experienced counterparts. Even the more reserved Iori was out examining the patches of wild blooms in the grass.

"So, Natsuki-chan!" Noriko's excitement seemed subtly forced. "You had something to give all of us as well?"

The other girl's face flared up, turning red as she nervously shifted from side to side. "Yes—I—I wanted to give you all flowers."

There were some curious looks from Nagato and Yasushi before the former spoke up. "Really? To all of us?"

"Yes—everyone." She said, her hands trembling slightly they opened the lacquer box she had been cradling. Inside was a kaleidoscopic array of flowers, neatly cut and wrapped in washi paper.

There was another awkward silence as Natsuki fumbled through the various flowers, seemingly unable to decide which one to start with.

"Sorry," Nagato finally mumbled, trying to move things along. "I didn't mean to make it harder."

Noriko decided to step in and facilitate Natsuki's plan. "How about you start with Yuki and then work your way up to the oldest of us?"

"Alright," Natsuki sighed before taking in a deep breath and searching through her flower box. "It was a bit hard to get some of these so early in the season. I hope you all still like them, even if they are less vibrant."

After some nervous searching, she held out a single deep purple flower. Its loose outer petals swayed in the gentle breeze as Yuki cautiously received the flower. Afraid of accidentally breaking it, she placed it stem first into the side pocket of her laptop bag.

"It's a Japanese Iris," Natsuki said, nervously kneading her fingers together. Even when talking to her closest friend, she could not look at her directly out of sheer nervousness.

Yuki looked on curiously as if she were expecting Natsuki to say something more. "What meaning does it have in Hanakotoba?"

"Come on, Natsuki-chan," Noriko chirped. "don't be shy. It's better if you tell us, so it won't go over Yasushi's head."

There was a low grumble from the boy before he nodded in agreement. Besides Natsuki who did Ikebana, it was unlikely any of them knew much about plants or flowers beyond general knowledge.

She took a gulp of air before rattling off her explanation. "It represents wisdom. There were lots of other things I thought about, and the Iris represents other traits too, but I think it suits you best."

There was a slight blush on Yuki's face for the first time, accompanied by a faint smile. It was the most overt show of any emotion other than nervousness that Mamoru had seen.

"Noriko-chan," Natsuki said, holding out a bright red flower. Its petals looked almost like the washi paper its stem was wrapped in. "It's a red poppy, for the most fun and passionate person in our group."

"I was hoping for violets," She replied playfully, "It's hard being so sincere."

"No…" Yasushi interrupted, slowly shaking his head, "I think these fit you perfectly." The younger girl began to blush at his unexpected compliment until he continued. "In the West, they symbolise death, which is pretty much what you make me feel like."

"Hey! I thought you were about to say something nice." Noriko protested at his backhanded compliment.

Natsuki took the opportunity to present Yasushi with a flower that seemed to be made of wool from a distance "I thought you might like something with a more western meaning."

"An Edelweiss..." Yasushi said softly as he reached out to receive her gift.

"The mark of a true soldier." She continued with a cheery smile.

Yasushi was almost stunned as he looked at the thin cotton-like petals of the flower. "I don't think I'm brave enough for this."

Natsuki gave a small shrug, now more confident. "It takes more than that to be a soldier."

She moved on to Nagato, handing him an instantly recognisable flower. Its soft, feminine, peach colour seemed to be a stark contrast to the reticent kendoka, but its meaning could not have been more appropriate.

"A Peony," Nagato said, as stunned as Yasushi. "I don't think I'm very courageous either."

"Then take it as a devil-may-care attitude," Natsuki said, now with confidence before she turned toward Reina. "Reina-senpai, for you, it was an easy choice. But finding a good branch was quite difficult."

The branch was short, specially cut for an Ikebana display, but it was filled with radiant pink sakura blossoms. How Natsuki had managed to get the ordinarily pale cherry blossoms this saturated with colour was a mystery. No doubt it had been expensive to get plants this beautiful.

"The blossoms of spring are all the more precious because they bloom so briefly," Reina said. Her gaze was distant as if she was staring right through Noriko to some far off place.

"Oh…" Natsuki said, shifting uncomfortably again. "I didn't mean it that way."

There was a short flicker in Reina's eyes before she responded, "Sorry, I was quoting the Tale of Genji to myself. I love them." She had a warm smile, but her eyes had echoes of the same hollowness Mamoru saw when they last met. Though no one else seemed to take too much notice, paying more attention to the myriad of flowers.

"Sanada-san, I know it seems underwhelming because of where we are, but I got you a wisteria."

Unlike the other flowers, standing at the end of stems, his wisteria hung on the end of the branch. Its many petals were soft to the touch, giving off the same sweet smell as the tree they were under.

"Natsuki," Mamoru started as he pieced together what his flower meant. "I… I'm not sure if I can accept this."

"Maybe nobility was a bit much to imply with the flower. But I really do believe it, you helped us even though it made it really hard for yourself."

Natsuki's sincerity bit into him. It was what he would have liked to hear months ago to soothe the smaller sacrifices he had been making. Now it seemed that it was another impossible expectation he had to live up to after what he did. Her words started to draw the attention of Reina who no doubt had also realised Natsuki was mistaken in her praise.

Thankfully, she kept her momentum by moving quickly to Kodai, presenting him with a gorgeous deep red camellia. Her hands trembled slightly as he hesitantly leaned forward to accept it.

"I'm not so good with this flower stuff," Kodai started, unsure of what to say. "but this flower doesn't mean what I think it does right."

Reina as the only other person with some knowledge on hanakotoba was also intrigued. "They have an archaic meaning in literature, but they are now… you know, a declaration of love."

The squeak Natsuki made sounded closer to a choke as she was sent reeling back from Reina's comment. "No, I didn't mean it that way." She began to rub her fingers together again, avoiding everyone's gaze. "Kodai-senpai, you're fearless, so I gave you a flower popular with samurai."

"I am pretty sure a Tsubaki is a symbol of death," Yasushi said as he attempted to analyse it further. "It always shows up in period dramas as a gift to samurai before heroic deaths. I guess it's a compliment, but it's a bit morbid with all—"

His rambling was interrupted with a swift elbow from Noriko. "You're not helping things." She grumbled. "And why do you know anything about flowers."

"It's historical information? Like Reina-senpai said?" Yasushi offered in a poor attempt to deflect her ire.

Noriko sighed before turning back to Natsuki. "I'm sure you were just trying to give something nice to all of us."

It was hard to believe the excuse Noriko was concocting for her. Natsuki had even told Yuki that she had considered the Iris's other meanings, which she would have done for the other flowers. Mamoru decided this was just another undercurrent he had no interest in being involved in. Though he seemed to be one of the few people who had not picked up on it until now.

Natsuki's sweet gesture had taken their minds off their impending troubles. As earnest, as it was, it could not help but feel like it was an excuse for her to give Kodai a flower. It made him wonder about how much she really meant with her wisteria gift. She seemed to have thought quite intently on the flower she chose for everyone else, preventing him from just dismissing it as a platitude.

The light amount of drama had a rejuvenating effect on almost everyone else. They joined the Tokyo DigiDestined in a mock fight instigated by Hikari and Takeru who started throwing handfuls of sakura petals playfully at each other. Their shouts sometimes distracted Mamoru from his thoughts as he stared intently at his flower, but it could not change his mood.

"Hanami was first used to describe viewing sakura blossoms exclusively in the Tale of Genji. Though there was a wisteria viewing party in the novel as well." Reina gazed off into the distance as if she were thinking out loud.

Mamoru turned toward her, the only other person left in the shade, unsure how to react. He wished he could have any amount of Kodai's reckless courage. At least that would amount to something instead of him sitting tongue-tied in front of her.

"I'm not going to fight again," Reina said, now staring right at Mamoru.

"Reina—" Mamoru said, almost choking as he scrambled to respond to her sudden words. "I promise. I swear. This time I won't let you go by yourself."

"You think that's what this is about?" Reina's words were bitingly harsh, a complete change from her normal gentle tone.

"I—I… you were almost hurt because I couldn't get a grip at the station."

"No Mamoru," the vacant look on her face had contracted into a scowl. "I told you it was okay to go. You really don't know do you…"

He racked his brain before arriving at the only obvious conclusion left. "How could you want me to stay near you after all that…"

"Because I made a mistake," She paused, holding out the branch of sakura. "I almost became just as fleeting. Her one day and gone another, before the next spring."

"You blame yourself? You were just trying to help me…" Mamoru felt a knot form in his chest, tightening as he realised how off he had been.

"Do you think I would blame you for taking up an offer I made?" Reina turned away, her long obsidian hair forming a gleaming shield on her back, deflecting all his words.

"It's not that. I shouldn't have accepted that no matter what. It was terrible." Mamoru tried to raise his voice to make up for their backs being turned, but the growing breeze still began to drown him out.

"Mamoru, I don't really blame you for accepting that in your state." She sharply inhaled before continuing. "What I can't believe is that you just left without saying anything. Before, you let us stay in your dorm after Kyoto Tower… and that day autumn day in the café where you talked to me. I knew it was hard for you, but you always chose to make sure we were all okay even if it gave you problems."

"I was just hoping everything would somehow work out." The strong wind helped to cool the rising heat on his face. "I'm not like Nagato or Yasushi. I was never prepared to accept the price of what I did."

"I don't think Nagato is either. Not for something as extreme as failing the Centre Test." There was a short pause as a strong gust blew sakura and wisteria petals into a blizzard across the meadow. "You shouldn't feel guilty about that. Not when I was stupid enough to say I would go alone. But it's hard to fight, and I always feel terrible afterwards. I never thought you would just walk away afterwards when only you could do something. There was no one else, not my parents, not Kodai in his unnerved state, just you."

The sweet scent of the wisterias had faded, carried off by the breeze to somewhere where it was more deserved.

"… I knew you wanted me to stay. I could see it. It just felt too painful, being reminded that I caused it all." Mamoru was glad that they were facing away from each other. She did not have to see his pathetic expression in addition to hearing his pathetic answers.

Reina twisted around and shifted herself closer to him. "A lot of it is circumstance. But you had control over that last bit." Her eyes showed more misery than rage now. Yet they still felt like they were cutting into him.

The only option left was to hope that his words could do something. Mamoru drew in closer, intent on getting his feelings across. "I'm sorry, I should have been there, especially afterwards. I gave up on thinking I could fix things when I should have just tried, even if I failed."

"I can't fight again. Not when it is this intense. I can't feel like that again with no one else around."

"I—" Mamoru stopped himself. As much as he wanted to promise to be there, he unsure if he could live up to it. Either Reina would not believe such a bold declaration, or it would create a recipe for disaster if he failed at a crucial time.

Their conversation fizzled out, the two gazing at the others who continued to play with their Digimon despite the increasingly inclement weather. Perhaps this was the life that Reina dreamed of with Salamon; little different than that of an average person in Japan. Studying hard at school or university, enjoying Kyoto's scenic spots with friends, their only worries being their relationships or future career.

Mamoru's almost trance-like daze was shattered by a loud, sharp call from Noriko. "Senpai!"

He and Reina instinctively stood up, attempting to concentrate on her voice. Though she was only thirty metres away, they could barely hear her. While the wind was not howling like it had in winter, it seemed to still sweep away their voices. Noriko realising that her message was not getting through started frantically gesturing to the sky.

Only emerging from the wisteria's shade made it apparent that the sunlight had significantly dimmed despite it being just after midday. Dark clouds were coalescing over Nijo Castle, only letting defused light through their ominous mass. The two sprang into action immediately, packing up their various picnic mats and organising bags, spurred on by the impending rain. The low rumble of thunder resounded above them as they clumsily carried multiple bags with them towards the rest of the DigiDestined. The Tokyo group went on their guard as lighting intermittently flashed in the clouds.

"We better get out of here," Mamoru said, winded by the short run. "it's going to be a deluge."

"Our Digivices should be going off at any moment," Miyako said as they continued to look at the clouds unnaturally collecting into a single mass over the castle.

Sure enough, there was a cacophony of alert chimes as their D-4s registered the phenomenon over them as a massive Digimon appearance.

"Should we all Digivolve?" Noriko asked as they made their way east towards the heart of the castle compound.

"Not yet. Conserve your energy until we see what we're up against." Ken said as they collected their belongings.

There were screams up ahead as they heard the high-pitched buzzing pierce the air. A horrific chimeric Digimon flew over the castle's outer walls, appearing faintly draconic with its blue clawed arms. It remained hovering, its two pairs of insectoid winds sending vibrations throughout the air as it sized up the DigiDestined.

"That is one ugly Digimon," Daisuke said as the rest attempted to identify it.

"It is a Dinobeemon," Yuki said hesitantly as she scrolled down on her Digivice. "the Digivice does not list an exact power level since it is a DNA Digivolution."

"Which two Digimon form Dinobeemon," Ken asked, moving forward with Daisuke to confront the wild Digimon.

"ExVeemon and Stingmon,"

"Hmm, Paildramon has the dominant characteristics of ExVeemon." Ken mused. "This must be the evolution where Stingmon's insectoid elements are more prominent."

"Good thing we don't Digivolve to this ugly piece of work," Daisuke said, taking out his Digivice.

"I'm just going to pretend you don't get the full implications of what you're saying," Ken sighed.

Daisuke turned around as their partners started to Digivolve. "We'll handle this Digimon. The rest of you guys should lookout for more of them."

Mamoru had only heard of DNA Digivolution before. Famously, it was how the original DigiDestined had formed Omnimon from WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. He assumed it was unique to them. The discovery that it was a potential held by many other Digimon would have been an intriguing thing to discuss with Kodai or Yuki, if not for the pressing danger. Ken and Daisuke's partners turned into orbs of blue and green light, orbiting each other until they collided together in a burst of light to reveal a single Digimon.

Paildramon was the mirror image of Dinobeemon. With a red helmet covering its head instead of the almost grotesque compound eyes of the wild Digimon, Daisuke was right. Paildramon raised the blasters attached to his hips, preparing to fire on the wild Dinobeemon.

"Wait!" Yasushi interrupted.

"What?" Ken and Daisuke replied simultaneously. It was like they were in perfect synchronisation which each other.

"We can't damage Nijo Castle, it's a historical monument."

Pondering his statement for only a moment, the two nodded in response. Paildramon launched himself into the air and grappled the Dinobeemon to the ground. The two almost indistinguishable Digimon wrested with each other among the sakura trees. Their strength and speed seemed to be equally matched, the Dinobeemon being able to fend off the Sting Strikes from Paildramon's gauntlets.

More digital distortions opened above them, revealing a horde of wild Digimon emerging into the world. The crimson skeletal figures Reina and Mamoru had seen at Kiyomizu-dera flew to the ground and began to roam the castle. Flying above them in a serpentine fashion were blood-coloured dragon Digimon; their wings tattered like the SkullSatamons and their head and arms clad in black metal.

"Those Megadramon are dangerous," Yuki announced to the group. "They can fire missiles from their arms."

"We can't fight them from the ground," Takeru said, starting Patamon's Digivolution.

"Noriko and I will handle the SkullSatamon on the ground with some others," Yasushi announced, pointing to Yuki and Natsuki. "Everyone else who has a partner that can fly needs to handle the Megadramon."

Takeru and Hikari's Digimon began to ascend into the air, their light blinding the dragon Digimon circling overhead. MagnaAngemon and Angewomon began their aerial dance, fighting multiple opponents. Their technique was the same one they had employed in autumn, MagnaAngemon using his sword and shield to protect Angewomon as she fired off her arrows.

Reina had Salamon clasped in her hands, a weary yet horrified look on her face as she saw the battle unfolding around her. The number of Megadramon were almost overwhelming, scoring many near misses on the pair of angel Digimon. Reina's terror was made more overwhelming because of Hikari's partner, making it easy to imagine what could happen to her own Digimon.

"Reina…" Mamoru said, reaching out to hold her shoulder.

She flinched and shuddered at his touch. "I'm not going to fight."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Before she could reply, they were interrupted by Nagato's distant shout. "Sanada-san, we need you in the air."

Cyberdramon had joined the flurry, trading vicious blows with one of the Megadramon. The sound of crashing metal rung through the air, grating his nerves as Mamoru tried to decide how to help Reina.

"Go," Hikari said softly as she approached the paralysed Reina. "I've felt this way too. Takeru and I will try to help her."

"But we need her,"

"If Reina-chan Digivolves in this state, it may end up being a disaster." Hikari looked him dead in the eyes, her affable expression entirely replaced by a steely resolve.

Realising what she meant, he gave a silent nod before dashing towards the bulk of the group who went through a gatehouse down the path. Hagurumon gained altitude beside him as he began to Digivolve directly to Wisemon. Soaring into the air, he immediately fired a bolt of lightning at a Megadramon about to attack Cyberdramon from behind. Wisemon was joined by horned red eagle Digimon as they soared above the battle, looking for another opening. He heard Miyako yell out a command, prompting the great eagle to dive into the fray. Its horns glowed bright red as they impaled a Megadramon, sending it crashing into the moat below.

"Aquilamon! Keep helping out that fortune teller looking Digimon with wings." Her partner nodded in acknowledgement to her strange instruction as he flew past them and back into the aerial battle.

A fount of water erupted from the moat where the dragon Digimon had been dispatched. Immediately, Ikkakumon launched himself into the water, ready to deal with the rising threat. He was quickly ensnared by multiple tentacles, attempting to drag him under. Yuki's partner lowered his head and launched his Harpoon Vulcan at his underwater assailant. There was a resounding explosion as another pillar of water was thrown into the air. A MarineDevimon emerged from the spray, hissing as its tentacles flayed wildly from the pain of the attack.

"Yuki," Kodai said, turning his attention from GrapLeomon's battle with a SkullSatamon. "Can you handle that Digimon on your own?"

She narrowed her eyes, scanning the other battles going on around her. The rest of the DigiDestined were in a deadlock with the SkullSatamon. Only Iori's partner Digimon, who now looked like an Ankylosaurus, seemed to have the upper hand against his foe.

Showing her usual reticence, she gave Kodai a small nod before holding out her Digivice. The casing changed to a deep purple as she started the Digivolution. Their leader turned back towards his own battle, clearly confident in her abilities. Ikkakumon began to grow, a shell forming on its back as its frontal paws turned into arms. MarineDevimon immediately attacked, not waiting for Ikkaumon's transformation to finish.

Still glowing in the yellow light, Yuki's partner raised its right arm, calling down a bolt of lightning from the clouds. The resounding thunderclap stunned the MarineDevimon, stopping it in its tracks. Another blast of thunder resounded as the wild Digimon was sent flying backwards on the water. Yuki's Digimon slowly readied its hammer for another attack, the weapon crackling with electricity. The MarineDevimon sensing its disadvantage attempted to flee.

"Zudomon," Yuki's single words were enough to convey her instructions.

Her partner was astonishingly swift in the water of a Digimon its size. Despite the massive shell it carried on its back and the hammer it wielded, the orange furred Digimon quickly caught up with his foe. Seizing the MarineDevimon by its tentacles, Zudomon reeled the other Digimon in before landing a hammer blow centre mass.

Holding off the SkullSatamon on land proved far more complicated, the DigiDestined being vastly outnumbered. Iori's and Kodai's partners were able to hold their own against one or two opponents, but Noriko, Yasushi and Natsuki seemed to struggle despite it being three on one. None of their Digimon were able to engage directly with the SkullSatamon to pin it down. This freedom let the ultimate level Digimon easily dance around the three range attacks before unleashing its own devastating counter.

"I'm gonna try Digivolving," Yasushi said as a jet of fire from a Skull Satamon narrowly missed them.

"But what if it doesn't work?" Noriko asked. "When Natsuki-chan tried it, she fainted before it could complete."

"Do we have a choice?" Yasushi replied frantically.

"We're still managing, somehow,"

As Kiwimon fired another Pummel Pecker barrage, more SkullSatamon emerged from above the tree line. Their grotesque figures lumbered towards them, shattering any Sakura trees in their way with their staffs.

"They've got reinforcements now," Yasushi yelled, failing to conceal his evident anxiety. "Noriko, if I collapse, just keep fighting."

Before she could respond, Yasushi held out his Digivice. He gave a short cry as the Digivice pulsed with light, its casing turning sea grey like Nagato's. Sorcermon began to glow with the light of Digivolution, his blue and silver cloak shredding itself as it wrapped around his body. The bandage clad Digimon that emerged was intimidating with his face remained concealed behind shreds of silver and blue cloth coiled around his head. Despite having only his mouth and eyes visible, Yasushi's partner had a fearsome expression.

"Mummymon! Snake Bandage." Yasushi commanded.

His partner raised his arms, unleashing the fabric coiled around its arms, latching on to the SkullSatamon in front of them and reigning it in. Wizardmon and Kiwimon seized the opportunity, landing their attacks squarely on their foe, knocking it out of the battle.

"That's an interesting looking Digimon," Iori said as his partner dispatched another wild Digimon. "Ankylomon and I fought a Mummymon when we were kids. Though yours has very distinct bandages with all the holy Digicode on it."

Yasushi looked at him intrigued, realising that his Digimon's current stage still retained many characteristics Sorcermon had. Before he could ponder the development further, a sharp jab from Noriko forced him back to reality. Concentrating on the battle again, Mummymon moved forward with GrapLeomon and Ankylomon to engage the oncoming SkullSatamon.

"I'm not sure if I should Digivolve to mega," Kodai said, turning to Natsuki and Noriko. "Can you guys try to get to ultimate first? I think it's more stable."

The two girls glanced at each other hesitantly. Natsuki was understandably reluctant, having tried and failed. Ideally, they would attempt it at a Digimon emergence with lower stakes, where there were others to step up in case something went wrong.

"I'm not sure," Noriko said hesitating. "Yasushi was always more confident about it, and I never got to try it."

"The first time is always the hardest," Kodai replied. "We all did it first in do or die moments. Right, Mamoru?"

Their focus turned to Mamoru who thought he was little more than a bystander since his partner was involved in the aerial battle. "I guess that is true…" He wanted to qualify Kodai's statement. It was undoubtedly reckless to push someone unprepared.

"Senpai," Noriko said, her voice growing more frantic and uncertain. "The first time you Digivolved was to fight multiple Digimon right? So I should be able to do it here."

Mamoru was rapidly trying to collect his thoughts in the hectic environment around him. He had to make it quick since Iori and Yasushi were the only ones concentrating on the fight upfront.

"Noriko," he started. "You'll know if you can do it. Remember what Koshiro-san said, just channel the most prominent part of yourself into it."

"What trait did you pick?" Noriko asked, seemingly more confused by his answer.

"I don't know…" He stumbled. "I was just myself—I don't think you pick these kinds of things."

"It was knowledge, right? That's one of the nine Koshiro-san mentioned."

Although he was not sure, Hikari's words earlier supported his suspicions about higher stages of Digivolution. If anyone were emotionally compromised, it would likely turn out horrendously. It was the only explanation for what happened at Mapukuji with Cherubimon.

"Noriko," Mamoru said, getting more worried. "if you don't tap on positive and genuine emotions, Digivolving will end in disaster."

She looked shocked at his statement, her hand holding her Digivice trembling. Except for Natsuki, hers was the only Digivice that had remained pure white, having never changed colour through ultimate level Digivolution.

"Mamoru are you—"

"Kodai," Mamoru said, cutting him off. "you saw what happened when you push someone. We can't risk that here."

There was a reluctant nod from Kodai. "Noriko-chan, you decide if you're ready. Don't rely on Mamoru or me to tell you. The same goes for you Natsuki-chan. We need your help, but we also can't risk making things worse."

As Kodai finished his sentence, he rushed forward, passing even Iori and Yasushi towards where the Digimon were fighting. There was a loud yell from Kodai as his Digivice pulsed again, turning completely orange. GrapLeomon immediately responded, dropping to all fours and unleashing a fearsome raw that unnerved the SkullSatamon around him. SaberLeomon's swipes quickly broke through the wild Digimon's defences, defeating a few of them.

Kodai leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding an attack meant for his partner. Mamoru ran forward, grabbing on to him and dragging him back towards the rest of the DigiDestined. He hated how reckless Kodai always was, even if it did get them some results. The situation still looked poised to spiral out of control, the SkullSatamon on a mostly unchecked rampage. Numerous sakura trees had been tragically set ablaze, but fortunately, the castle buildings and walls still looked unharmed.

Natsuki stepped forward, prepared to attempt to Digivolve again. Her resolve did not look entirely convincing, but her gaze remained fixed on the burning sakura trees. While Mamoru was uncertain, the sight of flowers engulfed in flames could be the additional push she needed to ack. Despite her repeated deep breaths, she was still unable to collect herself.

"Natsuki-chan! Get back!" Kodai yelled.

He charged towards her, narrowly pushing her away from another jet of fire. The SkullSatamon were too numerous for them to handle, wreaking havoc with their greater numbers. Their only hope appeared to be someone else Digivolving. But Natsuki was now clearly too shaken by the close call to push herself further.

"Everyone, clear the way!" Miyako shouted, waving them back.

The Kyoto group instinctively followed the older girl's instruction. As they moved off the path, Paildramon surged forward, claw raised with a Stinging Strike at the ready. He slammed into a SkullSatamon about to overpower Mummymon, taking it out immediately.

"Damn, that DinoBeemon was tough," Daisuke yelled as he and Ken ran up to them. Takeru and Hikari were following slowly behind with Nagato and Reina in tow. "We almost thought of Digivolving again, right Ichijoji?"

Ken shrugged before turning back toward their partner. "Paildramon, Desperado Blaster!"

The dragon-insect hybrid ascended vertically into the air, hovering above the chaotic battle unfolding below. Aiming his blasters downwards, he unleashed a withering barrage, hammering the SkullSatamon caught in it into submission. With their numbers reduced to less than half a dozen, the remaining wild Digimon grew hesitant, slowly withdrawing away.

Zudomon having won his fight earlier used his body to create a massive wave of water, attempting to douse the fires on the pathway beside the moat. The wind was continuing to pick up, fanning the flames despite his best effort. The crackling lightning had become incredibly frequent, creating the worrying possibility that it could strike a tree and spread the fire.

"Hey, Daisuke," Iori said as he looked up at Paildramon flying to help fight the Megadramon. "Do you see that in the clouds?"

The repeated flashes of lightning were almost blinding to look at. But it was quickly apparent when they concentrated on it that there was no thunder to accompany the flashes in the sky.

"You're not seeing things right?" Daisuke said as he turned toward the sky as well.

"I wish he was," Miyako said. "I see it too."

Each burst of lighting revealed a silhouette within the clouds. Though it was hard to make out at first, it grew more apparent that it had a dragon's shape—a massive one at that.

"Azulongmon," Ken mumbled.

"This is real bad," Daisuke clutched his head, ruffling his already unkempt hair. "We're going to need Imperialdramon and everyone else's megas."

There was a nod of agreement from the Miyako and Iori as they produced two small chips from their pockets. They looked strangely discoloured, having small hairline cracks running through them. Hikari and Takeru clasped each other's hands tightly, prepared to Digivolve to their mega stages like Mamoru had seen before. As Miyako and Iori were about to insert the chips into their Digivice, there was a thunderous roar from the clouds as they began to part. Hikari began to shudder, almost falling to her knees. Takeru immediately hugged her, frantically trying to comfort Hikari as she desperately tried to cover her ears.

Before Mamoru could ask what was happening, he heard it too. It was not the dragon's roar that had terrified Hikari. Turning to Reina, she was also desperately clutching on to Salamon with a terrified look in her eyes. He felt his hairs stand on end, as he heard the unnatural sound of waves lapping against the shore.

Mamoru's insides began to shudder as the sounds of the dark ocean grew louder. It became difficult to remain standing, requiring all his effort and concentration. This could really be the end of the line for them.


	16. Soaring Hope, Shining Light

**Chapter 16: Soaring Hope, Shining Light**

The sound of waves grating against coarse sand sent reverberations through Mamoru's body. He staggered forward, looking for anything to support his weight. Before his knees could buckle, there was a sudden jerk as he felt himself being hauled upright. Kodai had hooked his arms underneath him in time to prevent his collapse.

Trying to regain his bearings, he slowly panned around to get a better grasp of his surroundings. It was a sight of sheer horror, something Yasushi would describe as being from the Sengoku period. Sakura trees were ablaze, silhouetting the remaining Digimon as they fought one another in the castle grounds. The sun was now almost completely blotted out by a combination of clouds and smoke. There were only faint traces of Kyoto's clear blue sky, now only a vague memory on the distant horizon.

Hikari made it back to her feet, her fear displaced by determination as she struggled forward with Takeru's help. Reina was still incapacitated prompting Noriko and Yasushi to join Nagato in helping her. The battle in the sky continued to rage on, neither side having a clear advantage. Paildaramon was the least agile of the Digimon, making it difficult for him to effectively use his overwhelming strength. MangnaAngemon and Angewomon were the lynchpins of the battle, engaging nearly half a dozen Megadramon by themselves.

"That mass of clouds is just one big digital distortion," Miyako said as she typed away on her Digivice.

"So Azulongmon hasn't entered the real world yet," Iori concluded.

"That means we can still stop him!" Daisuke announced, punching his open palm again.

Ken looked less sure, rapidly considering the possibilities. "We have some of Azulongmon's power… that either means we're the only ones who can hope to stand up to him, or we'll be completely ineffective."

It was impossible to intuit an interaction like this since Digimon seemed to follow their own, at times inconsistent, logic. Despite the potential of combating Azulongmon with a fraction of his own power, the risk of the Digimon Sovereign somehow overwhelming Imperialdramon because of a lingering connection was deadly.

"Seraphimon could try instead. Though, I'm not sure if I have the raw power to match a Digimon like that without Ophanimon," Takeru said, quickly glancing back to Hikari who's condition was steadily improving. "It's going to be a bit before we can do anything."

"We have to act sooner than that." Ken mused. "Who we really need is WarGreymon and his Dramon Destroyers. Or better, Omnimon, so we have the option of going to Paladin Mode."

The rest of the battle situation remained in their tenuous control, a steady stream of rampant Digimon entering the fray. No matter how many they dispatched and sent back to the Digital World, they could not thin their numbers enough to allow most of their partners to focus on Azulongmon.

The arrival of another trio of SkullSatamon at the ground battle sealed their decision. "Imperialdramon will have to do." Ken decided.

Paildramon descended from the air battle, hovering above Ken and Daisuke. Holding out their Digivices, they pointed them towards their partner as they pulsed with light. The casing of their D-4s changed colour, becoming split down the centre; one half a light blue and the other midnight black. Like Hikari and Takeru's Digivices prior, the lining of their cases turned gold as they began their mega evolution.

A cyan beam shot forward from both of their Digivices, spiralling around Paildramon as he began to radiate a brilliant azure light. The energy swirling around him took on the shape of an eastern dragon before merging with their Digimon. Materialising from the unique Digivolution, it was difficult to tell that the humanoid figure before them was also a blue dragon. With a pair of crimson wings and most of his body clad in black and gold armour, Imperialdramon looked to be a match for any foe.

"Imperialdramon!" Daisuke shouted as he lifted his hand to the clouds.

The dragon warrior rocketed skyward, cutting right through a group of oncoming Megadramon, knocking them out of the sky with just the wake of his turbulence. The larger azure dragon had still yet to fully appear. Its silhouette was becoming more defined but remained shrouded in cloud and lightning.

As Imperialdramon neared the towering cloud formation, the dragon warrior lost speed as he was buffeted by gale-force winds, slowing to a nearly stationary crawl. Amid his struggle to remain airborne, a cobalt bolt of lightning erupted from the clouds. Imperialdramon replied with a magenta coloured laser from his right gauntlet. There was a deafening explosion as the two blasts of energy collided, forcing Mamoru to avert his eyes.

"Azulongmon is about to emerge!" Miyako yelled, her eyes rapidly moving between her Digivice and the clouds.

"Imperialdramon! Giga Crusher!" Daisuke commanded.

The dragon warrior lifted his shoulders, facing his body directly towards the Digimon Sovereign's nearing silhouette. A blast of pure energy exploded from the dragonhead figure on Imperialdramon's chest. The orb tore through the dark clouds slamming directly into Azulongmon in another blinding explosion. As the flash dissipated, the Sovereign remained unflinching, the incredible force of the attack seeming to have harmlessly evaporated around him.

With the last of his shroud torn away, Azulongmon was now clearly visible. The azure dragon's body crackled with lightning, the many wings on his back seeming to carry a Typhon with them. Its size was unfathomable for a Digimon, larger than even Kyoto Tower. The chains encasing its body were probably long enough to reach Uji from where they were. What terrified Mamoru the most were the Sovereign's four piercing eyes, completely black save their unnerving crimson pupils.

"Look at the Digicores." Iori pointed out.

Orbiting his four legs were eleven black orbs, seeming to distort the very fabric of reality around them.

"It's definitely infected with the virus," Miyako concluded, finally lowering her Digivice.

"Miyako, Iori, mega evolution," Ken instructed before turning to Takeru. "Can you keep the Megadramon busy until Hikari can Digivolve?"

"Just… give me a little longer." Despite Hikari's laboured speech, her resolve was unmistakable.

Takeru nodded as he kept his arm wrapped tightly around Hikari. Iori and Miyako pressed the chips they held into their Digivices, causing them to radiate with light. Mamoru realised they had two of the original crest when they regained their previous deep colours, one sea grey and the other scarlet. Holding their Digivices toward the sky, the lining of their cases turned gold as their partners began to warp Digivolve straight to their mega stage.

Aquilamon soared towards the Digimon Sovereign in a blazing light. A second pair of wings erupted from his body as the feathers on his tail began to fan out into a beautiful pattern. Even as his evolution ended, Miyako's partner continued to radiate an almost blinding aura from his gold and crimson feathers. On the ground, Ankylomon rapidly grew, his neck and tail elongate as he took on the form of a brachiosaurus. His already sturdy exterior rapidly morphed into metallic armoured plates, covering his entire body. Completing his transformation, a trio of gigantic cannons formed on his back, aimed skyward at their foe.

"Those look like they're battleship calibre guns," Yasushi said in awe.

The SkullSatamon rapidly fled as Iori's Digimon cleared the path with a sweep of his massive tail.

"Everyone!" Daisuke yelled. "All together!"

"Cannondramon, Dynamo Cannon!" Iori shouted.

"Hououmon, Starlight Explosion!" Miyako yelled.

The phoenix Digimon flapped its four massive wings, releasing a blast of pure, holy light towards Azulongmon. Simultaneously, Cannondramon fired a salvo from his three-gun battery, sending three red beams of plasma into the sky. Their attacks converged with Imperialdramon's, forming a massive energy lance that rocketed toward the Digimon Sovereign.

Mamoru went completely blind. Even after slammed his eyes shut from the attacks' overwhelming brightness, he could still see phantom images. His vision was just a white void in the seconds after, even with his eyelids firmly closed. The power of their attack was terrifying. Although he could not see the battle, he could hear the continued volleys from Cannondramon and Daisuke's shouts. They had still yet to defeat Azulongmon.

As he reopened his eyes, the colour started to fade from his vision. Turning to the castle moat, a portion of the vivid teal water had become a choppy, saturated grey. The dark ocean's presence crept forward, sucking the vibrancy out of its surroundings.

"It's coming," Mamoru croaked, attempting to warn the others.

They were all oblivious, too focused on the clash of dragons above. He continued trying to summon his voice, only managing faint rasp and hoarse words. The only person nearby who took any notice was Natsuki, beginning to tenuously approach him.

"Sanada-san?" She said.

Her words prompted Kodai to check on him. "Whoa, you've gotten worse."

"Dark Ocean" Mamoru coughed up, finally having their attention.

"Where?!" Natsuki squeaked.

Mamoru weakly lifted his hand to the moat on their left. Their eyes snapped to the growing discoloured water, now ranging violently. If not for the overwhelming sounds of the battle elsewhere, it would have been impossible to miss.

"Yuki!" Natsuki yelled, frantically signalling to the growing disturbance.

The laconic girl responded with Zudomon, stopping their firefighting efforts at the nearby sakura trees. With the SkullSatamon mostly dispatched, Saberleomon crouched by the water's edge, prepared for anything. Zudomon hesitated as he neared the boundary of the Dark Ocean's influence. Mamoru could feel the unnatural energy emanating even from a distance, causing a knot to form in his stomach.

"Don't you hear that?" Mamoru asked, having regained some of his strength. The sound of the waves was hammering his mind.

"Hear what?" Kodai asked. "I can see the damn thing but… It just sounds like churning water, right?"

"You're not going insane," Hikari interrupted, able to walk up to them unaided. "I can hear it too."

"Is that why Reina is like that?" Kodai asked.

She was still clutching her head, immobilised on the side of the path. Despite Salamon's desperate pawing, she was unable to soothe her partner's anguish.

"Reina-chan has it a lot worse than Mamoru-kun or me. I don't think it's _just_ the effects of the Dark Ocean, but I don't know her that well so I can't be sure." Hikari replied.

Kodai slowly nodded his head. "I think I get it. She was already distressed about fighting. I'm not sure what the Dark Ocean does, but it looks nasty judging from Mamoru."

Takeru moved to join them after conferring with Daisuke and Ken. "Hikari, we need to Digivolve soon. The Megadramon are mostly defeated, but they may need our help with Azulongmon or whatever comes from the Dark Ocean."

As Takeru finished, there was an eruption from the moat, spraying them with water. Kaleidoscopic smoke began to emerge from the achromatic Dark Ocean distortion. Rising out of the water was the massive red frame of Leviamon.

"SaberLeomon!" Kodai yelled.

His partner reacted immediately, lunging at the demon lord Digimon. Aiming for the back of their foe, SaberLeomon launched a powerful swipe with his right paw. Despite the resounding sound of the impact, Leviamon hardly flinched. The crimson alligator remained unmoving despite the flurry of attacks from SaberLeomon who was perched on top of it.

"Yuki, try to hit its underbelly. That's how we got it the last time." Kodai instructed.

Zudomon surged forward, creating large waves in his wake. Leviamon responded, shoot a jet of fire at the oncoming aquatic Digimon. Yuki's partner immediately dived, letting his shell take the brunt of the attack as he continued to move forward. There was another large spray of water as Zudomon's horn impacted Leviamon, finally causing it to grunt in pain. The demon lord responded by using its front claws to strike at Zudomon underwater, forcing him to surface.

As the struggle continued on the water, the situation high in the clouds looked grim. Despite their constant attacks, they could not penetrate the aura barrier Azulongmon had around him. The barrage of fire from their three mega level Digimon repeatedly dissipated around the azure dragon.

The only piece of good news was that the legions of SkullSatamon and Megadramon had been thinned. Yasushi, Noriko and Natsuki had found their coordination, using Mummymon's snake bandage to hold down their foe in place as Wizardmon and Kiwimon pummeled them into submission. Cyberdramon and Wisemon were finishing off the last of the stray Megadramon, using a similar strategy with Desolation Claw and Pandora Dialogue.

Mamoru felt a tinge of hope return. If they could focus on Leviamon and Azulongmon, they might be able to carry the day with their greater numbers. As soon as he completed the thought, he felt that hope shatter. Grey blots appeared in the sky, darkening and distorting the already grim clouds. Emerging from them were two humanoid Digimon draped in dark red and purple robes. Their sinister leathery wings made their allegiance obvious; they were the other demon lord Digimon.

"Daemon!" Ken roared. He had given the appearance of a calm and collected individual before. To see him so consumed with rage was surprising as it was unnerving.

"Ken, keep your focus on Azulongmon." Takeru immediately replied. "Only you and Daisuke can push the Sovereign back into the Digital World. Hikari and I will handle the demon lords."

The couple looked at each other before joining hands again. Just as they had done at Kiyomizu-dera, they held their D-4s side by side as they initiated their Digivolution. The cases of their Digivice pulsed with light, the lining turning gold like the others. Their partners began to soar into the air, engulfed in a familiar yellow light.

The two Digimon that appeared from the Dark Ocean seemed unimpressed, remaining static in the air as the two angles rapidly closed the distance. Daemon made no movement, his expression unknowable behind his blood-red mantle. The other Digimon had a female appearance, seeming to be the demonic opposite of Ophanimon. Her purple cloak fluttered in the wind as she gave the approaching Digimon a scornful look.

"Seraphimon! Heaven's Knuckle!" Takeru yelled.

Emerging from the light of Digivolution, Takeru's partner continued his charge at Daemon. Seraphimon's golden wings seemed to draw in light from the surroundings, coalescing it around his silver and azure gauntlet. Ophanimon was not far behind, clad in teal armour with her javelin raised and poised to strike.

Seraphimon made contact, creating an explosive burst of light. Their opponent had underestimated them, taking the full force of the impact. His punch sent Daemon flying skyward for some time before he was able to regain control. The female Digimon, seeing the strength of the attack quickly evaded Ophanimon.

"Lilithmon is not going to be an easy opponent," Hikari said to Takeru.

The boy only nodded, too absorbed in analysing the unfolding battle. Daemon conjured seven orbs of black hellfire around him, unleashing them at Takeru's partner. Seraphimon continued his assault undaunted, countering with seven balls of holy light. The two attacks collided in another brilliant explosion, the heat from the energy discharge easily felt hundreds of meters below on the ground. Seraphimon charged through the smoke, his gauntlet radiating light, prepared for another melee attack. Daemon replied in kind, concentrating black flames into his right claw and launching is own punch to meet the angel. The collision sent both Digimon flying back before they regained control and resumed their attacks. Ophanimon and Lilithmon appeared evenly matched as well, trading blast of holy and dark energy as they darted around in the sky.

Takeru grit his teeth. "Even after all this time, we're still not strong enough to take them out one on one."

All their Digimon were tied down, managing the escalating threats. If they could defeat one of them, they could tip the balance of the other fights and gradually regain control. Mamoru strained his mind thinking of ways to achieve it. Forcing Natsuki and Noriko to Digivolve was out of the question. His mind centred on Reina, the only person who had yet to enter the fight. She had recovered somewhat, still staying away from the battle and their group with Salamon. It was almost cruel to have to ask her, but they were always out of options.

Mamoru suppressed the remainder of his thoughts and began to move on pure impulse. In one swift movement, he took a few large steps towards Reina and grabbed her by the wrist. Stunned by his boldness, she did not protest, following along in confusion. The others gave him a bewildered look as he approached.

"Reina, I'm sorry I have to ask this of you." Mamoru began, looking her directly in the eye. She could predict his question and snapped away. "We need you to fight. There's no one else left."

There was an uneasy pause that seemed like a deafening silence despite the sounds of battle around them. Reina stared at the ground, refusing to meet his gaze. From what little Mamoru could tell, she seemed to be rapidly considering something. She turned back to him, a peculiar, pained look in her eyes.

Before Mamoru could preempt her reply, she posed her own question. "… Mamoru… you can still Digivolve,"

There were small flickers in her eyes as she said this, but her expression was overwhelmingly hollow. Mamoru opened his mouth, but the momentum from his first impulsive decision had evaporated. It was replaced by a twinge in his chest as if someone had reached inside and pulled his heartstrings.

"You don't mean that…"

"I do." There was a brief softness in her eyes as she glanced at him before her distant stare returned. "You're asking me to do the same thing."

There was another hanging moment despite the cacophony of fighting around them.

"She may have a point." Kodai finally said. "If you could stabilise Cherubimon then it would be fine."

Kodai's words were met with a glare. That was possibly the only thing worse than pushing Noriko and Natsuki. Hagurumon's mega form was a horrifying monster which he had no control over. Was he expecting it to miraculously change?

"That's the most reckless thing you've ever said," Mamoru bit his words, his voice rising as he continued. "How do you plan on stopping Cherubimon when he goes on a rampage? Can you spare a thought for—"

"What actually happened with your Digivolution?" Takeru interposed.

The assertive interruption from the normally amiable Takeru derailed his thoughts. As Mamoru paused to collect himself, it became clear that Kodai was also lost for a reply. Takeru's interruption had allowed Kodai to regain his composure, but there was still a lingering sense of desperation as he shuffled in place.

"It's a dark Digivolution, isn't it?" Hikari said.

Mamoru could only nod.

"It happens." She said, trying to reassure him. "It happened to Gatomon and me. It even happened to my brother and Agumon."

"It's too dangerous to attempt it now. There's no one around to stop Cherubimon if it goes wrong."

"There's always hope," Takeru said, holding out his green Digivice.

"The circumstances that caused it haven't changed."

"A crisis of faith is a tough one." Takeru mused, returning to his normal affable tone. "But as another author put it: hope lightens difficulties."

"That's a nice sentiment, Takeru-kun. But I don't think it will help now." Mamoru grasped his temple. His head was starting to pound.

Takeru and Hikari smiled before the boy continued. "Even ordinarily, it's not just sentiment. And we aren't ordinary people."

Mamoru raised his eyebrow. Their warmth, despite the dire situation, made him regret his earlier caustic statement.

"I didn't really get it at first," Takeru said, turning to Hikari. "But hope and light have a special quality among all the crest."

"I don't know about this…" Mamoru hesitated, turning to Reina who was now more melancholic than ever.

There was the sound of crackling lightning behind them as Zudomon slammed his hammer into Leviamon. Though the attack was flashy, calling lightning from the sky to charge his hammer, it had minimal effect on the demon lord. Even at the mega stage, SaberLeomon's attacks appeared only marginally stronger. Kodai had noticed this too, perpetually frustrated by his partner's lack of combat ability.

"We have to." Kodai insisted bitterly. "We don't have a choice. I would Digivolve again if I could, but this is my limit."

Mamoru inhaled sharply and nodded his head.

"Hikari, buy me some time," Takeru instructed. "Seraphimon! Seven Heavens!"

Takeru's partner's golden wings drew in the light around him, creating seven spheres of divine energy in his outreached palms. Daemon prepared to counter with his bolts of hellfire, the flames beginning to coalesce around him. The attacks collided in another apocalyptic explosion, concealing Seraphimon as he dived away towards Takeru. Daemon and Lilithmon saw the retreating angel and began their pursuit.

"Ophanimon! Sefirot Barrier!" Hikari shouted.

Ten prismatic crystals manifested in the air around Hikari's partner. Placing herself between them and the oncoming demonic Digimon, the crystals began to radiate a kaleidoscopic light. It was as if the auroras high above the earth had merged with a gleaming rainbow over Kyoto. There was no physical barrier between the DigiDestined and the two demon lords, yet they could not push through Ophanimon's aegis. They fired their attacks in frustration only to have them dissipate into nothing as they attempted to pass through the rainbow aurora.

"We can't hold them off for long," Hikari said as Seraphimon landed in front of them.

The archangel Digimon was even more impressive up close, his armour a pristine gleaming silver and deep azure. Like other angel Digimon, there was a strength radiating from Seraphimon's presence. Mamoru let out a sigh of relief as the sound of waves faded away.

"Mamoru-kun, hold up your Digivice," Hikari said.

Takeru gestured for the rest of the Kyoto group to do the same. Even Reina joined them, her reluctance seemingly soothed by the angel Digimon's presence. Takeru and Hikari removed the crests from their D-4s, clutching them tightly in their palms.

"Seraphimon, Testament," Takeru said.

The archangel nodded, raising his arms out to his sides, palms turned skyward. His wings began to pulse, emitting waves of light that sent a warmth cascading through Mamoru. Takeru and Hikari's crest shone brightly, the gold and pink light escaping their closed palms.

"Digivolve. Now." Takeru and Hikari said in unison as they remained concentrated on their crest.

Mamoru raised his Digivice skyward, calling Wisemon back from his fight with the remaining Megadramon. As he concentrated his thoughts, he felt an overwhelming realisation. Even if he only believed in himself when he got results, everyone else, from Asuka to Yuki never doubted that his failings were just temporary. The casing of his Digivice turned entirely purple, the lining becoming a shining gold. He could feel his mental alacrity growing, the world around him coming into a vivid sharpness. While the demon Digimon's horrific appearance was now more apparent than ever, so were the determined expressions of his friends.

Wisemon's arms grew rapidly, his hood disappearing to reveal long almost rabbit-like ears. Mamoru held his breath as the light of Digivolution faded from his partner. An awed smile overcame his face when he saw his wisteria-coloured skin. Seraphimon immediately launched into the air on the evolution ended, joined by Cherubimon as they soared towards Ophanimon.

"Cherubimon! Heaven's Judgement!" Mamoru was invigorated by his partner's newfound strength, finding a determination that had been buried for months.

Ophanimon collapsed the prismatic aurora around her, concentrating it at the end of her javelin before firing a lance of purifying kaleidoscopic light. The three archangel Digimon launched their attacks in unison, Cherubimon launching a barrage of thunderbolts alongside Seraphimon's Seven Heavens and Ophanimon's Eden's Javelin.

The barrage of attacks overwhelmed Daemon and Lilithmon's counter-attacks, the impact throwing them further into the air. A cheer erupted from the Kyoto group, though the other DigiDestined from Tokyo were still too focused on Azulongmon to notice.

"Guys," Nagato said. "I need some help with the Megadramon."

The effects of Takeru and Hikari's actions seemed to have revitalised everyone's Digimon as well. Despite that, Cyberdramon was now the only one left fighting off half a dozen foes that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Iori-san, can you help handle things on the ground?" Noriko asked.

Iori nodded, ceasing Cannondramon's barrage against Azulongmon momentarily to perform another wide tail sweep. The SkullSatamon were again scattered by the dinosaur Digimon's might giving Mummymon another opening to attack.

"What makes you sure your partner's ultimate stage can fly?" Yasushi said in an uncharacteristically concerned tone.

"I just know," Noriko said as she held up her Digivice. There was a pulse of light as the D-4's case lining turned purple. Wizardmon continued to ascend towards the aerial battle as he Digivolved.

Mamoru did not know if he ought to be concerned or flattered by Noriko's partner. Emerging from his evolution, he had become the spitting image of Wisemon. The only difference was Noriko's partner retained the deep purple colour of Wizardmon's robes in his cloak. As Wisemon entered the fray, the differences became more apparent. While both their partners could firing bolts of lightning, this Wisemon's other attack was a jet of fire instead of a beam of light.

"I'll help too," Natsuki said, emboldened by Noriko's success.

Her Digivice pulsed with light, the lining of casing turning a light mint green. Kiwimon grew only slightly as she Digivolved; mostly prominently developing verdant vegetation and flowers from a shrub growing on her back. The Digivolution completed with a gold crown forming on her blue feathered head.

"Deramon, Flower Barrage." Natsuki cried.

The multitude of flowers on her partners back blossomed on command, unleashing a blistering volley of energy blast. The little bolts of energy rapidly being loosed by Deramon were a myriad of colours, matching the diverse types of flowers. Her barrage connected with a trio of Megadramon, stunning them with the intensity of the blast. Cyberdramon swooped in, cleaving his way through their incapacitated foes.

"Takeru, Hikari, do you think we can get Paladin Mode?" Daisuke shouted over the sound of another explosion.

Imperialdramon's Giga Crusher had failed to do any damage to Azulongmon again. The air around the Sovereign cracked with azure electricity, distorting the air around it. The gigantic dragon's tail frequently faded in an out of view, the only remaining indicator that it was still partially in the Digital World.

"Don't we need Omnimon?" Ken interjected before either of them could reply.

"We may be able to do it," Takeru replied. "We have all three archangel Digimon now. Their power could substitute Omnimon's."

Hikari's expression remained concerned despite her boyfriend's vote of confidence. "It's going to be incredibly unstable. We can only give Imperialdramon our holy power temporarily without actual DNA Digivolution."

"I can try to DNA Digivolve Seraphimon with Imperialdramon." Takeru offered. "I know you guys are closer to Taichi-san and my brother, but…"

"It won't work Takeru-kun." Ken said, shaking his head. "You know, there's too much history between us."

There was an uneasy stare between Ken and Takeru before they both relented, tacitly agreeing that it was out of the question.

"Well then," Takeru said, "Mamoru-kun, this decision involves you as well."

A lump formed in Mamoru's throat as he ran through the possibilities. "What's going to happen to our partners? Are they going to lose their power forever?"

Takeru gave him a weary smile as he shook his head. "It's just temporary. But I think it'll be quite exhausting."

"I don't have much power to give," He replied despondently.

As Mamoru spoke, Seraphimon delivered a powerful uppercut with his Heaven's Knuckle that sent Daemon tumbling through the clouds. Lilithmon was dispatched soon after with a blast of rainbow energy from Ophanimon.

"Hikari and I can make up for it. The important thing is that we need all three of our Digimon to achieve it."

Mamoru felt a familiar hand rest on his shoulder. He wondered if this was just the effects of Takeru and Hikari's crest on Reina. But in the moment, it didn't matter.

"Let's do it."

The three archangel Digimon formed into a triangle behind Imperialdramon who was still intercepting the Sovereign's attacks. They radiated a blazing white light as the trio collected their power into a single sphere in the centre of their formation. The orb of divine energy shot forward, merging into Imperialdramon's back as the three angels began to degenerate into their rookie stages.

Catching their partner Digimon as they slowly descended back to earth, their eyes remained fixed on Imperialdramon. The dragon warrior's wings and armour had turned pristine white, exuding an aura able to weather Azulongmon's lightning blast without flinching. Imperialddramon held out his right hand, manifesting a gleaming white and gold blade from the pure light around him.

"The Omni Sword looks different," Hikari said, her eyes still locked on the paladin Digimon. "It doesn't have the crest of Courage or Friendship on it."

"Why would it?" Takeru replied. "They may look similar, but I think that's Seraphimon's sword, Excalibur."

"I can see the crest of Hope and Light on its crossguard," Iori mumbled.

"Daisuke!" Ken shouted. "We have to hurry, Paladin Mode won't last for long."

There was a determined nod before Daisuke let out a battle cry. "Imperialdramon!"

With the tip of Excalibur pointed towards the Digimon Sovereign, the paladin Digimon surged forward. Lightning erupted around Azulongmon as the sword connected with the barrier around him. The azure dragon's shield seemed unlikely to collapse, the blade still unable to pierce it. Despite that, Imperialdramon steadily gained ground, forcing the Digimon Sovereign many times his size steadily backwards. It's body began to fade from view, engulfed by clouds and burst of pixilation from the growing digital distortions.

The Digimon Sovereign was not so easily defeated, defiantly firing bolts of lightning and raising his front claws. One of his talons latched onto Imperialdramon as he made the final thrust with his sword. There was a shout of panic from Daisuke and Ken as their partner failed to break free of the dragon's grasp. The paladin Digimon yelled in pain as lightning coursed through the azure dragon's claw and into his body.

Imperialdramon began to glow with light as a burst of blue energy left his body. Spiralling around the claw of Azulongmon, it formed into a twelfth blue Digicore. Imperialdramon's Digivolution immediately collapsed, splitting apart into an orb of green and blue light sent hurtling towards the ground. Hououmon swooped down, catching the two Digimon in its claws.

"Azulongmon… reabsorbed the Digicore he gave to us," Miyako said, still reeling from the sequence of events.

As their partners were returned to Ken and Daisuke safely, the Digimon Sovereign faded from view. Only dark clouds remained, giving off the occasional rumble of thunder. Their relief was only momentary, the snarl of Leviamon reminding them they had undefeated enemies. From above, Daemon and Lilithmon reemerged from the clouds, weakened but undefeated. Two more Dark Ocean portals emerged behind them, a worrying sign that more mega level Digimon were about to join the battle.

Takeru and Hikari's partners were in no condition to Digivolve again, fast asleep in their arms. The strain on them had been so great that they degenerated into their in-training forms. Mamoru felt a twinge of guilt looking over to Hagurumon. Though he appeared tipsy, his partner could still float on his own and retain his rookie form.

"Veemon, you up for Digivolution again?" Daisuke said.

His partner looked weary but gave him a firm nod. Ken and Wormmon shared a silent moment reaching the same conclusion.

"It's pointless DNA Digivolving," Ken said as he raised his Digivice. "I don't think we can reach Imperialdramon again without Azulongmon's power."

Daisuke took out a faded crest and inserted it into his D-4. Holding his Digivice towards his partner, the crest gave off a blue light as Veemon's Digivolution began. Ken's Digivice unexpectedly changed colour, going from black to a light lilac as Wormmon Digivolved. The lining of their Digivices turned gold as their partners rose into the air.

"UlforceVeedramon and GrandisStingmon can't handle all four of them," Ken said as their partners moved to intercept Daemon and Lilithmon.

Yuki without hesitation held out her Digivice, its case lining turning gold as the rest of it became completely purple. "Iori-san, we will handle Leviamon."

Mamoru was impressed by the boldness of her action. He had assumed Nagato or even Reina would be the next ones to Digivolve to mega. Zudomon's shell began to fade away as his neck lengthened, and limbs turned to fins. Noriko and Yasushi were mesmerised by the sight despite the few remaining SkullSatamon rampaging near them.

"It's the Loch Ness monster," They said simultaneously.

"Plesiomon," Yuki said. Her voice was raised but incredibly calm despite her harrowing battle with Leviamon thus far. "Sorrow Blue."

Her partner launched a sonic attack, blasting Leviamon with a high-pitched sound wave. The aquatic demon lord became immobilised, allowing SaberLeomon to attack the vulnerable points between its scales.

Ken and Daisuke's partners made their first pass against Daemon and Lilithmon. UlforceVeedramon was a blur, making rapid slashes against Daemon with the sabre on his right arm. GrandisStingmon was only slightly slower, his body entirely clad in black and green armour. The insect Digimon's blow from his claw gauntlets was intercepted by Lilithmon, her nails radiating vile corrosive energy. Even as Hououmon joined the fray, the battle looked to be even.

There was a blood-curdling screech as a horned beast barrelled through the clouds. The new demon lord slammed into the earth, crushing the remaining SkullSatamon. Cannondramon immediately moved forward to challenge their new foe, only to be lashed with chains coated in black flames. Iori's partner managed to shrug off the attack, but his metallic armour now bore deep gashes.

"Belphemon," Iori scowled.

The two Digimon charged forward, slamming into each other in a contest of raw strength. It was only the sheer weight of Cannondramon that prevented the demon lord from overpowering him. Mummymon attempted to assist, but his attacks had little effect on the raging demon.

With all their Digimon locked in battle, the last demon lord to appear slowly descended unopposed. It's long white beard flowed in the wind as it cackled from behind a gold mask. Despite its posturing, it had yet to attack, slowly flapping its six crimson leather wings. Mamoru watched the demon lord's staff intently, looking for the slightest signs of an attack. But none came, the skull tipped rod being idly twirled in the grotesque pale hands of their foe.

"We need to get out of here," Takeru said, pointing towards the bridge leading to the castle's keep across the moat. "We can't fight Barbamon until other Digimon have been defeated."

"He'll just destroy the bridge as we're on it," Miyako said with an uneven tone.

Mamoru turned to Reina who was still holding Salamon tightly in her arms. Even if she could Digivolve to Angewomon, she couldn't hold Barbamon off by herself. A wave of nausea overcame Mamoru as he tried to focus on his Digivice. It was challenging to find more strength after he had given what little he had to Imperialdramon. Drawing on what hope was left, his Digivice vibrated in response.

Hagurumon, despite his weakened state, managed to Digivolve, emerging as Clockmon. His champion level partner raised his mallet, undaunted by their overpowering adversary. It was bleak, but Mamoru held out hope that the unique properties of Clockmon's Chronobreaker could stop Barbamon.

"Mamoru," Reina said. "This is insane, let's just try and run."

Kodai stepped in, standing beside Mamoru without his partner. "No, he's right. There's nowhere left to go."

"Reina… it's not too late for you to try…" Mamoru said as he looked down at his own Digivice. No matter how hard he concentrated, his ultimate evolution using the crest of Knowledge would not trigger. Its power was spent.

A resolve returned to Reina's eyes, her gaze coming back into focus. She linked arms with Mamoru and Kodai, ready to Digivolve. But her strength seemed too little too late. Barbamon raised his staff, launching an orb of crimson energy at them.

Clockmon hesitated as Mamoru remained paralysed. His partner was unlikely to survive the attack if he shielded them. Kodai would probably never have flinched, but he was not brave enough to embrace such a suicidal action. There had to be at least a forlorn hope that they could succeed.

"Clockmon! Chrono Breaker!" His partner raised his mallet, attempting to strike the attack and freeze it in time. It was almost impossible, but it just might work.

As the blast neared his partner, his Digivice began to vibrate violently. Briefly turning away, it gave off a flash of light as its case changed from a deep purple to a vibrant green. Clockmon was engulfed in light as Barbamon's attack struck, creating a cloud of thick smoke. There was a loud yell for Kodai and a violent sob from Reina. Their gambit had failed. Mamoru felt his insides give way and legs weaken as the black smoke began to clear.

"It's not over yet!" Takeru yelled from behind.

Light began to break through the ashen smog, revealing Mamoru's partner had survived. He had no idea how even Wisemon could survive an attack like. But it quickly became apparent that his Digimon partner was utterly different. Clad in a silver armour similar to Seraphimon's, his partner had protected them with his massive shield bearing the crest of Hope.

"Knightmon…" Mamoru mumbled to himself, instinctively knowing the name of his new partner.

"How?..." Miyako said, surprised by this new Digivolution.

Placing the kite shield on his back, Knightmon drew his greatsword. Welding in both hands, he readied himself to attack. Reina took the chance to Digivolve at last, adding Angewomon's might behind him. Even then, it seemed unlikely that two ultimate level Digimon could stand up to Barbarmon.

"Dragon Impulse!" Daisuke yelled as his partner coated himself in a wave of blue energy.

UlforceVeedramon slammed into Daemon, knocking him out of the sky. Turning quickly to Lilithmon, his rapid sabre strikes gave GrandisStingmon and opening to land a devastating blow. Barbamon grunted at the sight of his failing comrades. Leviamon also looked to be on the verge of defeat; Plesiomon keeping the crimson alligator in a vice grip using its neck and tail. Barbamon began to slowly float backwards, a grey portal appearing behind him.

"Why the hell are you doing this." Kodai roared.

The demon lord remained reticent, giving him only a sinister cackle as it faded into the grey.

Before Ken and Daisuke's partners could intervene in any other fights, the Leviamon and Belphemon began to withdraw, sinking away into the water and ground. There was eerie confidence in their supposed retreat, keeping their demonic eyes locked with the DigiDestined.

The clouds began to rapidly dissipate overhead as the threats dwindled. With the last of the Megadramon sent back to the Digital World and the burning sakura's extinguished; their partners began to rapidly degenerate.

As Ken cradled an exhausted Wormmon in his arms, he turned to address the rest of the group. "This isn't over. They'll be coming again…"


	17. Samidare 五月雨

**Chapter 17: Samidare** **五月雨**

"You guys really did it this time," Asuka said, shaking her head as she looked at her phone. "A building size dragon over Kyoto. They're still talking about it on the news and its been weeks."

Mamoru drummed his fingers on the table as he took a deep breath. After a long sigh, he finally gave Asuka a reply. "Yeah… I know."

The girl sitting across from him huffed as she sipped her coffee. His laconic reply hardly lived up to her standards of their usual back and forth. Their meetings this term had been somewhat lacklustre anyway, despite being more frequent. It passed mid-May, but the air was still pleasantly cool as they sat outdoors at a café behind Kyoto University's clock tower.

"Is that all you have to say?" Asuka replied dryly, swirling the ends of her hair in boredom. "I don't remember you being this uninteresting."

"Could be worse; we're covering the Kyoto School this term. You want to talk about the philosophy of nothingness?"

His deterrent appeared successful, causing Asuka to wince as she processed his words. "You really like that kind of thing?"

Mamoru narrowed his eyes at her dismissive statement but accepted it as par for the course. "Beats covering Aristotle."

"I thought you would have liked ethics better."

"How do you know about that?" While Asuka was undoubtedly smart enough to understand anything he was studying, it was hard to believe she could be bothered to read up.

"Well…" She started, excessively stirring her coffee. "After what happened in February, I decided to see what was working you up."

"And?"

"And I thought it was pretty hard…" Asuka's attempt at diplomacy was confused at best.

"So, you're saying I shouldn't feel bad for not doing so great." Mamoru had one eyebrow sceptically raised.

"Not just that," She continued to swirl the ends of her hair, entangling the black strands. "I thought you'd like that kind of thing. You know, all that stuff about what it means to have virtue."

"How much did you actually read," Mamoru said, crossing his arms.

"I didn't go over the _whole_ thing. It's kind of boring. But the kind of boring you would like." She said without skipping a beat.

Mamoru pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, you skimmed it."

She merely shrugged, prompting Mamoru to realise he was not sure what else he was expecting.

"I guess," he began again. "If I had more time, maybe it could have been more interesting. Or even one of my favourites."

"So you finally got more time this year? And here I thought you just missed me." She gave him her distinctive smug smile.

"I see too much of you for my liking." Mamoru groaned, turning away in his seat.

He unintentionally stopped facing the rear entrance of La Tour, a relatively fancy French restaurant in the west wing of the clocktower building.

Asuka seized the opening. "Oh, thinking of a romantic dinner, are we? Too bad Reina isn't here."

His brows furled as he attempted to concoct a reply. How would Asuka react to an honest answer? He had not seen Reina in over a month, though his mind floated back to thoughts of her almost daily. Mamoru was not even sure he wanted to meet her, unable to tell where they stood with each other after everything.

"Okay!" Asuka rude interruption dragged him out of his thoughts. "You can stop fantasising about your dream date."

"I wasn't…" Mamoru said, attempting to salvage the situation.

She was unimpressed. "When are you going to meet her?... She told me you guys haven't met in a while."

"I'm busy—"

"You just said you weren't." She wagged her finger, disapprovingly at him.

"I kind of am, with all the studying and Digimon stuff."

"She said there weren't any Digimon things going on." Plastered over Asuka's face was another smug smile as if she had managed to entangle him in a web.

"There was a Digimon appearance just yesterday," Mamoru retorted, instinctively pulling out his Digivice.

"How often?" Her arms were cross, having none of it. What had precisely had Reina told her to create this level of confidence?

"Well, maybe twice a week, sometimes?" He mumbled.

"You don't even go to all of them." She said, taking his Digivice and scrolling through the appearance log. "You were in a lecture last week when this one happened. We even met before and after."

"Okay…" Mamoru sighed. "But there is something big coming up. It's impossible to concentrate on coursework and—"

"Really, Mamoru? You've been saying that since high school about exams that were months away. What could it possibly be now?"

"Sixth of June," Mamoru muttered. "Don't come to Kyoto. Stay in Uji. Or better yet, take a trip to Osaka, or Tokyo, or Sendai, or Sapporo. Wherever is furthest from here."

"Why not Okinawa." Asuka's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"I'm serious."

She rolled her eyes. "You are always such a dour person, you know that? It's less than twenty days away from now, in the middle of the week as well. We have class Mamoru. What, is that dragon going to come back and level the place like an earthquake?"

There was another long sigh from him as he clasped his temple. Asuka's gaze turned back to him when his usual dry response never came. After a short bout of silence, Mamoru finally nodded, causing Asuka's playful expression to crumble.

"You're kidding, right? If I hadn't been napping, I would have freaked out, even from Uji."

"I don't blame you." Mamoru was starring off into the distance, trying to control his emotions so that he could at least reassure Asuka.

"I guess we can't really enjoy the Agata Festival this year. You were thinking of going with Reina, right?"

He shook his head. The festival had not even come to his mind. It used to be a fixture of life during high school, happening each year on the fifth of June. There was always an air of anticipation to it, with everyone at school using it as an excuse to ask someone out. It seemed like a carefree world away. Though he wished the distance was just due to the passage of time since his graduation.

"How do you know it is going to turn up on that day specifically?" Asuka continued.

"You remember that snowy day, where we searched up the National Data Processing Bureau? They have a satellite system and stuff that managed to pinpoint a date and time. Though I wish they could have been this effective earlier and saved us a bunch of trouble."

"I think those guys made another statement." Asuka began to type away at her phone, bringing up an NHK article.

The message seemed to be the standard apology from a government organisation; nothing but a barrage of vague reasons for their lapse. Interestingly, it was issued not by a spokesperson but the chairwoman of the Bureau herself; Himekawa Maki. The situation was severe if it warranted her getting involved directly.

"It's a bunch of platitudes, isn't it?" Asuka said as he returned her phone.

"Kind of… no one actually knows why this is happening."

"Not even you?"

He despondently shook his head. "I mean, there are bits and pieces. There's a virus that can infect even ultra level Digimon; there's the involvement from the Dark Ocean and the demon lord Digimon that dwell there; worse they corrupted even the Digimon Sovereigns, so that could mean—"

"Stop, stop, stop." Asuka had both her hands raised. "You know, this is just like when you talk about your degree, I have no idea what you're saying."

"It's complicated. In fact, everything just seemed kind of arbitrary."

"I heard demon lords…?" Asuka appeared to have some difficulty even saying that absurd name. "Sounds like something I would say when doing fortune-telling. Is this some kind of good versus evil thing?"

"I guess that would be the intuitive way to look at it," Mamoru said, rubbing his chin. There literally were angel and demon Digimon fighting each other. "But I don't think its as easy as that. It feels more like we're opposing a force of nature. Even if we win, it's going to rear its head again, eventually."

"So… you're telling me that a Digimon rampage is just like a typhoon or an earthquake?"

"Kind of, except we can try and stop them. The NDPB is supposed to be sending people down to help us at the start of June."

"Has it really gotten to that point?" Asuka looked at her lap, shaking her head. "We're relying on a bunch of teenaged students to solve this?"

When she put it that way, the situation did sound even more desperate. "Technically, we are turning twenty," Mamoru said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Aren't the Defence Forces going to try to do something? Even if only you guys have Digimon?"

"We aren't the only ones, but the rest are scattered around Japan and the world." Mamoru wondered who else could come to their aid. They were on the verge of defeat even with the help of the original DigiDestined. "The JSDF can't do anything. I hope they don't get in the way thinking this is Godzilla or something."

"Why don't you talk to anyone about this?" Asuka was uncharacteristically concerned.

Mamoru only glared in reply, amazed that she either forgot or did not register the tone of most of their conversation.

After a few moments, Asuka got the message and relented. "I get it, I get it. Sorry, I'm not the most supportive conversation partner."

"Is it selfish that I'm still focused on studying? I bet Kodai is trying to come up with some kind of battle plan right now."

"Mamoru, I'm amazed that you even managed to pass last year's exams with this going on in the background."

A faint smile fluttered to his face before it was cruelly suppressed. "It wasn't always this desperate, I don't have an excuse for anything that happened before this semester."

Asuka huffed again as she dragged the conversation in another direction. "I guess I can't blame you for not meeting Reina. I don't know all the details, but I hope you guys are doing okay. You're my favourite couple."

"We aren't…"

"Sure, sure, keep telling yourselves that." She gave him a sly smile. "I mean, it's not the kind of romance I would like to have," Her tone was playfully haughty. "but I guess this is just what happens these days."

"This isn't some Shojo Manga, Asuka."

"Okay, maybe its Josei, or I guess from your perspective a Seinen." She teased. "I'm not even sure why you guys like each other."

"We don't." He insisted.

"Okay, okay, don't need to get defensive. Unlike you, I can accept that not everything needs to be super-rational."

"Alright, I'm at my Asuka limit right now." Mamoru sighed, causing her to chuckle. "I'm probably going to head back to my dorm. I've got a meeting tomorrow, so I better wrap up my work."

"Digimon stuff?"

"Yeah, Kodai wants to hold our own meeting in advance. He says it's urgent, as always. But I'm not sure what good that is going to do."

"Kyoto is going to be fine, right?" It had been a while since he had seen genuine concern from her.

"I don't know… we're not as strong as we'd like, or even need to be. But I guess we'll try." Mamoru said, trying to force a smile.

The twitch on her face made it evident that his words were hardly convincing, but she also put on a forced smile to prevent their meeting from ending on a sombre note. "Take care, typhoon season is starting. Looks like it's going to rain soon."

Mamoru looked up to the grey sky as he stepped out of the building's veranda. "It'll be fine, it hardly rains until summer."

This time, Mamoru had been the one to cobble together a venue for the Kyoto DigiDestined's meeting. Kodai as usual still controlled the agenda, keeping tight-lipped about it. Even though Mamoru was not sure what good a meeting would do, he suspected it would still help. There was a chance it could devolve into everyone ranting, but it could possibly still help things.

There was little information beyond what Ken had told them a few days after their apocalyptic fight. He had conferred with the more senior members of the Tokyo group and came to a disturbing realisation using the Butterfly Satellite system. Though it was incomplete, Koshiro had worked his magic to conclude that their next convergence event would be worldwide.

Perhaps Jou and the others had been right keeping them in the dark. Despite the decline of Digimon appearances again in the wake of their battle at Nijo Castle, no one felt rested or at ease. Even Noriko, who was ordinarily excitable, confessed to him and Yasushi that it no longer felt like a Digimon adventure. It was an existential crisis that threatened their real lives.

As Mamoru walked towards the Faculty of Letters building from the library, he received an abrupt call from Asuka.

"Hey, Mamoru, did you say you booked room 4-3 in the east building?" Her voice sounded a little offbeat over the phone.

"Yeah?" He responded hesitantly.

"Well, the economics faculty just took it over for a seminar." There was the sound of a door opening as her footsteps quickened.

"Oh, come on," Mamoru groaned.

"You know the rules," She mumbled over the sound of pulling out a chair. "It's term time, so their booking takes precedence. Especially since you guys aren't an actual club.

"Your faculty attracts certain kinds of people," He grumbled. "Can't even be bothered to tell us in advance."

"Are you saying I'm an asshole?" Asuka's small giggle at the end gave away her intent.

He sighed. "Pretty much."

"Reina's on her way down." Her smug smile almost seemed audible to Mamoru. "I got to go," She whispered before abruptly hanging up.

Sure enough, Reina stood at the entranceway of their faculty's east building. She had brought out her lavender cardigan again in the warmer weather, leaving it unbuttoned, free to flutter in the light breeze. The dull sky was the only thing that dampened things, her obsidian hair no longer gleaming without the bright sunlight. Concentrating on her Digivice with a slight frown, she did not notice his approach across the campus road.

"Hey," Mamoru said uncertainly.

She flinched at the sound of his voice before quickly looking up. "We need somewhere else to meet, got any ideas?" She said curtly.

"I was with Asuka at the clocktower café yesterday, we could go there."

"You really want people to overhear us?" She replied with a stern expression.

"Good point," He mumbled. "I guess we can't really go anywhere on campus."

"Everyone's already on their way here."

Mamoru began to rack his brain, but there seemed to be no good solution. Unless they wanted their meeting to end up like their first one with Koshiro.

"How about, we go to Yoshidayama park? Should be pretty empty on a weekday afternoon."

Before replying, she looked up at the greying sky. "I can't think of anything better, but are you sure?"

He could only shrug. "Don't really have much of a choice, right? If it does get bad, we can always take cover at one of the shrines."

There was an incredibly reluctant nod from her as she started to text the group. Walking south out of Kyodai's main gate, they took a left, heading east towards Yoshida Shrine and the park behind it. While it was not the most conducive environment for a serious meeting, they probably did not need anything more than a few park benches.

There was a barrage of messages as everyone replied in the affirmative. It was difficult to tell if Noriko was whining or just trying to lighten the mood by complaining that it was still quite cold for a May day. The expected grumbling from Nagato and Kodai never came despite their new venue being even further away. Mamoru supposed that the younger man was just grateful that he would not need to set foot into another university. Even if he had no ambition, or frankly chance, of getting to Kyoto University.

The park's terrain was hilly, though it was nothing compared to what he was familiar with in Uji. Their walk towards the empty playground was reminiscent of the gentle climb they used to make towards their high school on a hill. Though, instead of chattering students, the only thing that broke the afternoon calm was the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Leaving the stone benches for the others, Reina and Mamoru sat down on a pair of swings. Gently pushing herself back and forth, she appeared to be in her own world.

"Are we going to talk about what happen?" Reina said suddenly.

He jerked in his seat, almost falling off. If Asuka could somehow eavesdropping on them now, she would see it as a confirmation of romantic involvement.

Reina did not bother looking at him, continuing to lazily swing back and forth. "You know what I mean." She pressed.

"I thought we talked it all out at the flower viewing." Mamoru tried to remain as nonchalant as possible. On reflex, his grip on the swing chains had tightened, leaving him white-knuckled.

"I thought so too," She sighed.

"I'm here now if you need me." He knew it was a weak answer, but the risk of a wrong one was overwhelming.

She abruptly snapped to him, keeping her gaze locked before breaking away again. "Mamoru, I know it was desperate, but why did you ask me to fight?"

Reina had pre-empted his most obvious justification, leaving him flatfooted.

"I didn't want to risk Digivolving and losing control," He replied with a half-truth. A part of him wondered if it was really fear that compelled him, or his own lack of will to even try and control his Digivolution. Even then, it was hardly clear if either was justifiable, let alone the better motivator.

"Really? So, your solution was to try and get me to make up for that? Instead of seeing if we had more options." Reina's tone had gone from semi-monotonous to biting.

"We were out of options—If I had known Takeru-kun and Hikari-chan could do that, don't you think I would have taken that option first."

She flinched at his words, confirming that he had made a strong point. "Why didn't you ask them? They're more experienced and her to help us. That kind of pride is something I only expect from Kodai."

A moment of doubt fluttered through his mind as he assessed the validity of her statement. But he failed to come to any conclusion. For all he knew, she could be right. But at the moment, he found it hard to care. "Why didn't you ask them? Takeru and Hikari said they understood what you were going through. Why be ashamed of it?"

Reina's face was now locked in a perpetual scowl. While Mamoru was becoming more agitated, he still had enough sense to detect that his tone and words were increasingly incendiary. His rational mind was waging a losing battle, attempting to rein in his frustration. He knew it was counter-productive, possibly even cruel to escalate things with his words. Yet his emotions were forcing their way to the surface, setting a fire inside of him, making his muscles tense up. The feelings of tenderness or even guilt seemed too distant to restrain his wounded ego.

"Mamoru…" Her words were slow and despondent. "Do you actually believe—no, even understand not wanting to resort to violence?"

"Why would you say that?" He instinctively replied.

"Your perfectly fine with fighting."

"Why should that mean I don't get what you're thinking?"

"There it is," She said as she released a sigh towards the sky. "I'm sure you rationally get things, you're really smart after all. But its always just that to you, a rationalisation. Something to sit down and think about in a classroom with books written by dead people."

"Maybe I can't feel how you do exactly," He bit his lower lip, searching for the right words. "but who can have those exact emotions except you? Anyone else can only have something similar."

"You think they're similar, but I'm starting to doubt that." She had stopped her gentle swinging and was drawing circles in the dirt with the tip of her shoe. "You don't feel the same aversion I do, like wanting to vomit when you even think too much about fighting. It's all just one big thought experiment for you. And that means that when there is a big enough problem that's only solved with fighting, you'll get up and do it. And you'll expect everyone else to reach that conclusion."

"That's irrational…" Mamoru mumbled.

"That's the point." She spat back. "Do you really think you can ask someone who has a phobia to just reason their way out of being afraid?"

"What are you going to do then? Just never fight? Even if Kyoto is going to be levelled?"

"I never said I wasn't looking for an answer. Just like how you were looking for yours." After refusing eye contact, she finally turned to him with a piercing look. "Your answer also wasn't in any books."

Mamoru knew that nothing had outwardly changed this semester. Maybe he could attribute it to getting more used to university, but he could have already said that after his first semester. He was not any more brilliant, nor was there any less work. It was a choice he had made, or rather come to terms with. Being a DigiDestined was important enough to sacrifice what made him happy. Especially if he meant that he could protect and help the people he cared about. Though he found it hard to admit to Reina in their current state.

"I just got better at managing my work." He said, giving her another half-truth.

As Reina absorbed his statement, he wondered where their feelings of earnestness went. How it had been easy for him to talk to her and make such sweeping declarations in the past. He hoped it was just in this moment that it was difficult.

"You and Asuka are made for each other." Her statement made Mamoru flinch again, unsure of its full meaning. "Both of you just can't be honest with anyone, can you? She hides behind exaggeration, and you hide behind rationalism."

"I was honest…" Mamoru thought of the past as he said this, forgetting his recent words.

"No wonder the two of you are friends." She mumbled, turning away. "You two never need to talk about how you feel."

As they stared off into the park, Mamoru wondered if she was right. There had been some change recently, but that was undeniably how he and Asuka operated for most of their time in school. The tension and agitation steadily evaporated, replaced with a tepid silence punctuated by the swings' creaking. Maybe in some other world, this would be a rare moment alone with her that he would relish.

"What happened to the two of you?" Kodai's voice shattered the illusion of calm between them as he trudged up the path with Nagato beside him.

"Nothing," Mamoru immediately said. "We got tired of waiting."

He got nothing more than a shrug from Kodai who proceeded to sit down on one of the stone benches near them. While he was in his usual green bomber jacket, Nagato was curiously in sports attire. The younger boy had a large kit bag with him in addition to his shinai bag.

"You still have kendo training?" Mamoru asked, trying to make conversation.

Nagato's usual stoicism cracked with a slight flicker of expression before he regained control, shaking his head. "I don't have a team now. So, I do some of my own practice."

"Are you planning on joining a community group then?"

"I was thinking of going pro," He mumbled, causing Mamoru's eyes to widen as he realised his mistake. "But my only options were a university team, joining the JSDF or the police."

Mamoru sucked in a breath of air through his teeth, unsure of how to reply. Kodai waved him off, giving him a shrug. It seemed that even he was uncertain of how to deal with it. They all waited in uneasy silence, shortly joined by Yuki and Natsuki who did nothing to help break it. Finally, Noriko and Yasushi arrived, giving Mamoru another opportunity to lighten the mood.

"How's Doshisha?" He asked Yasushi.

"A little tough, but I'll manage. I can see why you found it hard to juggle university and Digimon stuff. My timetable is a mess. I even have a lecture at 7pm on Tuesdays."

"The first semester is normally rough. But when your course options open up, you can start to organise it better. Asuka was even tempted to cram all her lessons in just three days and have a four-day weekend last semester." From the corner of his eye, he could see Nagato begin to wince as he overheard their conversation.

"Hey senpai," Noriko's interruption was opportune for once. "Aren't you gonna ask me how I'm doing?"

"We already know what it's like to be a third-year at Todoh." He replied drily.

"Really? Then do you know what it's like to be the Student Council president?" She made an exaggerated movement, sticking her thumbs out in front of her chest with a beaming smile.

Yasushi sighed and shook his head before Mamoru replied. "I can't believe you won an election."

"Hey! I'm charming, energetic and competent. Why wouldn't I win?" Noriko said, self-aggrandising.

"You don't honestly believe all that, do you?" Mamoru narrowed his eyes, playing along. While there would be some minor amount of actual irritation whenever Noriko got like this; he found himself surprisingly thankful for her boisterous attitude.

"Believe what you want," She said, pursing her lips. "It's a real job."

"I know, I was in the student council, even if I wasn't as the president," Mamoru said dismissively, only to earn a wink from Noriko.

Kodai cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention and signalling for them to sit down. He held out his old smartphone, scrolling through notes he had prepared for their meeting.

"So… I have some bad news." Kodai using his naturally commanding tone, but his words hardly seemed to match his voice. "Koshrio-san has told me that no one in the Tokyo group can help us on the sixth of June."

There was a stir in the group as Noriko and Natsuki began to mumble to each other. Mamoru's eye twitched as he processed the information. No help was coming?

"There are still some people coming, but they were DigiDestined."

"Were?" Noriko repeated.

"Erm… they lost their partners. So they can't help us fight, but they'll still be good mentors." Kodai seemed nervous about conveying this information to them, keeping his fidgety left hand in his pocket.

"What about the NDPB?" Yasushi asked.

"The representative they are sending is one of the former DigiDestined from Tokyo."

"So what are they expecting us to do by ourselves? You saw what happened at Nijo." Yasushi's voice steadily rose.

"The next convergence is going to be _worldwide_ ," Kodai replied curtly. "They need to be elsewhere. Azulongmon isn't the only sovereign."

"Aren't there other DigiDestined around the world?" Yasushi continued to press the issue.

"They need their help more. Look at it as a vote of confidence," Kodai said, trying to assuage him. "Koshiro-san did say we were the first group to get D-4s." His left hand seemed to instinctively twitch as he said that. "We are probably one of the stronger groups with more people. It's also not like they abandoned us. They just can't spare anyone who can fight at the moment."

Reina winced at his last statement, even though it was not directed at her. The atmosphere remained tense despite the gentle breeze and the dull sky above. For Yasushi, there was a growing irritation at their lack of support. No doubt prompted by the harrowing destruction he saw at Nijo Castle. For others like Natsuki, it seemed more a matter of anxiety or even fear that the burden now fell squarely on their shoulders.

"They really can't spare _anyone_? Not one person? Do they just expect us to pull more power from thin air?" Yasushi sounded like he was on the verge of a tirade.

"There _are_ only eight of them," Kodai retorted. "They're splitting up to deal with the other three Sovereigns elsewhere. We're just going to have to hold Kyoto mostly on our own."

"Why not split into pairs so that two of them can at least—"

"Will you shut up already!" Nagato snarled.

Yasushi locked up, abruptly sitting upright as a furious scowl came over his face. Turning his body towards Nagato, he was primed to explode.

"What the hell is wrong with you Takeshi. You can't be okay with this plan."

"Just suck it up," Nagato's jaw remained clench as he spoke.

"Not all of us are like you, willing to put up with bullshit just so we can say we're tough."

"Then let me put it in a way you can get it." Nagato stood up, moving towards Yasushi and Noriko's bench.

Mamoru was on the edge of his swing, unsure of what to do. Kodai appeared equally paralysed, staying rooted in front of them. It was getting too personal and possibly even violent. Only Kodai was physically able to stop Nagato, yet he continued to look with a passive posture, his hand still in his pockets.

Remaining three paces away from Yasushi, the kendoka laid into him. "No reinforcements are coming. It's do or die. I'm sure you've read that in your history books, or your father would have told you."

"So what?" He spat back. "We're supposed to go off on a Kamikaze mission?"

"If we have to!" Nagato had his fist clenched tightly. "You can't always get everything you want."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? We're just supposed to give up and not bother?" Yasushi rapidly rose to his feet, advancing half a pace towards Nagato.

"You've always been like this," They were now less than an arm's length away from each other. "You just want it both ways. Like how you moved to Uji for high school."

"So this is what its actually about? That I followed my dad when he moved jobs?"

"He's done that before, you didn't suddenly quit Rakusei when he was posted to Itami Camp."

This statement only made things more confusing. There was clearly history between the two, having gone to the same junior high for three years. Yet Kodai was the only one who seemed to be unphased by their spat.

"I got tired of living with my grandparents." Yasushi's glare remained locked on the other boy. "What are you trying to say?"

"You just used it as an excuse to stay closer to Noriko-chan!" He spat. "It was so damn stupid, you didn't even know she would go to Todoh."

Yasushi stumbled back upon hearing those words. His face became utterly flushed, confirming that what Nagato said was true. Noriko remained seated, continuing to stare at the dirt around her feet. She puffed her now glowing cheeks up and was crushing the hem of her skirt in embarrassment. The only thing that came to Mamoru's mind was a variation of Reina's words. Yasushi and Noriko were made for each other, though in a less than positive way. Perhaps it was just part of being a teenager that leads to such emotionally charged decisions. But both of them were on a different level, changing schools and joining clubs to get closer to people they liked.

"Do you know how much the baseball team hates me? I told them there was no way you would quit." Nagato looked at his feet. His rage had run its course. "Even after that stupid decision, you still ended up getting you wanted."

Yasushi opened his mouth, probably about to raise that Doshisha was actually his second choice university. But he quickly clammed shut, knowing that was a poor defence. There was nothing particularly wrong with what Yasushi did, as ill-advised and rash as it was. Yet it felt like there should have been some consequence; Todoh turning out to be an insufferable school for Yasushi, Noriko going elsewhere making his gamble pointless, or his academic performance suffering since they were lower ranked than Rakusei. It felt like luck was spitting in Nagato's face, not only leaving him alone and despised in high school but now also without a path in life he wanted.

"Okay…" Kodai said, finally stepping in. Could his strategy have been to give the two boys a chance to let it all out after years of discontent? "I know it feels bad, and it hasn't been great for you, but Yasushi didn't do anything to purposely hurt you."

"I'm sorry I didn't think about you Takeshi," Yasushi mumbled as he sat back down.

Kodai placed a hand on his kouhai's shoulder. "As stupid as his decisions were, could you still be happy for him, right? As a friend?"

Nagato shuddered at having Yasushi be called his friend. He turned around to face Kodai, his eyes having the beginnings of tears in them. "Why couldn't Kyoto Tower have been on another day. Senpai, why couldn't you have been stronger."

He was taken aback by the normally stoic boy's lament. "I'm sorry, we should all have been. For you and for Yasushi."

Mamoru stood uneasily, wondering if he should speak up as well. Now that they knew Kodai's mega stage was SaberLeomon, it was clear that it still would not have helped things during that winter battle. Maybe Cherubimon could have turned the tide without Nagato needing to Digivolve. If he had only pushed himself harder and sooner, this fate could have been avoided. But it was also easy to say all of it in hindsight, taking his own disastrous grades as a foregone conclusion.

"Can we really stand against Azulongmon?" Nagato said. His doubt was unexpected after he chastised Yasushi for it. But it seemed there was no easy way to dismiss such an infectious concern.

There was a moment of silence as all the attention turned to Kodai. It was an unenviable position, needing to give a positive answer without sounding like a platitude or a blatant lie. He audibly swallowed before addressing them. "It'll be hard; there are only three of us who can Digivolve to mega level. But I'm sure the rest of you can as well. The Tokyo DigiDestined will have a plan as well."

Though the content of his words was reassuring, his posture entirely undermined it. Slightly hunched over and with his left hand still trembling in his pocket, he failed to project confidence. It was a far cry from the Kodai that had stood up in that café under Kyoto Tower to give instructions to a crowd of strangers.

"What if our mega stages are just as weak as SaberLeomon," Nagato said.

Everyone's backs straightened, knowing that he had just struck a sensitive topic. They had all seen it during the battle of Nijo Castle, with SaberLeomon barely stronger than Zudomon. The fact that Yuki's partner was an aquatic Digimon fighting in water was not enough to explain their lack of a power gap. Worse, it seemed that Plesiomon was able to fight Leviamon by himself.

Kodai struggled to come up with a diplomatic reply, his expression beginning to twitch. "It will still be stronger than what we have now."

"But it won't be enough." Yasushi interrupted, raising his point again.

"Look," Kodai's gaze flicked over to Mamoru before turning back to the two boys. "You know what we found out about Digivolution and how it's affected by emotions. We will be stronger once we put ourselves together."

Mamoru wanted to speak up since they had no proof of that. While emotions could taint their Digimon and cause them to go on a rampage; no one said anything about them being stronger if their feelings were more stable. It sounded intuitive, but it seemed that it was just a barrier to be crossed for Digivolving. Anything more would not necessarily increase their strength.

"We don't know that for sure," Yasushi said, beating him to it.

Kodai grit his teeth before launching his retort. "I am certain of it. Yuki's strong because she has it all under control. But not all of us can be a robot like her."

There was a squeak from Natsuki drawing everyone's attention. She tenderly clasped Yuki's hand as the younger girl turned her body away from Kodai. Though Yuki was trying to remain expressionless, there were chinks in her armour. The reddening of her eyes, the slight quivering of her lips, even the sharpness of her gaze; it made it clear to Mamoru that their leader had struck a grievous blow.

"Kodai-senpai!" Natsuki's tone was a mixture of anger and hurt. "How can you say something like that?!"

He stumbled to get his words out. "I'm—I'm—sorry. I got carried away."

"But you really think that…" Noriko mumbled, clutching her forehead.

Maybe Kodai had just forgotten what their first meeting with Yuki was like. She was a nervous wreck one the battle was over. Mamoru himself had almost forgotten, only getting a small reminder of it when they met Jou. Her calm and collected demeanour, coupled with her competence made it easy to forget she was actually the youngest of them. Or perhaps it made it harder to stomach since she was able to surpass everyone; having her potent mega level Digivolution under control.

"Yuki," Mamoru finally spoke up. "You're more put together than any of us. That's not something you need to apologise for."

"I'm not…" She whispered. "I have to keep it under control for all of you."

No reply he could put together seemed adequate now. Mamoru wished that Reina would speak up, but she was in no state to help the others. He could only hope that Yuki was going to be alright with Natsuki's help.

They continued to sit in silence, unsure of where to go next. While there was nothing productive left to say, it also felt too strange to just leave. This was their most dire moment; not any battle, as cataclysmic as some of them were. At Nijo Castle, they were still holding it together, even if it was just by a thread. Now, it was all coming apart at the seams.

A cold drop of rain landed on the back of Mamoru's hand. Instead of immediately moving towards shelter, all he did was stare at the droplet. He felt the steady increase of rain as it started to pepper him from above. Everyone moved sluggishly, dragging their feet in the growing deluge as they shuffled away from the playground.

No one cared they were being drenched. Maybe the cold rain and was the only things that could distract them from their thoughts. It was hard to say if the early summer rain was welcomed, or just added to their misery.


	18. Heaven's Twilight

**Chapter 18: Heaven's Twilight**

Part of being an adult was managing competing demands on his time. But Mamoru wondered if it also meant being able to carry on as if nothing was wrong. Asuka casually calculated the climactic battle was twenty days away, yet his perception of the passage of time was entirely warped. Individual days sometimes felt like an eternity, the typically brisk hour-long lectures dragging endlessly. It was hard to determine its cause. If it were because he could not absorb himself as usual, or if he were trying to stretch out each moment to put off the inevitable. Maybe time would feel like if it were slipping away if there was actually preparation that could be done. To distort his senses even more, the weeks all seemed to blur together, ending before he could realise. The world went by both in slow motion and a blur.

Their looming battle was hard enough to manage, but their group's recent implosion had only compounded the difficulty. As usual, Kodai attempted to pretend nothing was wrong, although even Natsuki, his most prominent admirer, was not buying into it. Mamoru still had to give him some credit, being able to start on his dissertation early in his second year while all this was going on. Being on public policy and Digimon, Mamoru wondered if Kodai's writing served as a distraction from their troubles or only magnified it.

The only other chatter on their LINE group was to inform the rest that they were responding to an appearance. It was mechanical and methodical, like updates you would get from work instead of coordinating with friends. Everyone had fallen into a pattern of partial reticence. Even Noriko remained silent as far as Mamoru could tell. Perhaps there was some talk going on in the background, between others that had not exploded at each other. It was the illusion of calm created by isolation, or for some, a flat-out denial. Of course, it could not last forever.

Reality eventually caught up with a message relayed to all of them from Koshiro. The former DigiDestined coming to meet them were not even staying until their battle. It was hardly surprising, knowing how thin everyone was stretched. They also had their own roles to play even if they could no longer contribute directly by fighting. Yet it also seemed even more painful to have their already low hopes dealt a further blow. The Kyoto group would indeed be alone.

A meeting was set for the fifth of June in the afternoon, the eve of battle. Though it dragged them all back to their strange, but real, life kicking and screaming internally, it had the side effect of getting them talking again. Perhaps it was just to distract themselves with another measure to feign normalcy, but Mamoru was not really concerned. Actions or beliefs repeated enough had a way of becoming their own reality.

"Eh? Sorry!" Asuka was almost shouting as they walked towards Uji station, drawing glances from people passing by. "You never asked, so I decided to go to the Agata Festival with Kaori and Haruka."

"Nah, it was a long shot," Mamoru replied, waving his hand. "I just didn't want to end up stewing at home after the meeting today."

"Wow, aren't we self-aware now?" Her voice had its usual tinge of exaggeration and sarcasm.

"Just being practical," he replied with a shrug.

"It's tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah… you're not planning to go to campus are you?"

"Of course, I have an important class." She said without missing a beat.

"But—"

"Take it as a vote of confidence." Asuka's interruption was simultaneously nonchalant. "Either life carries on afterwards, or the world ends or something like that. So if things continue, I can't afford to miss class. I'm sure you'll defeat that dragon thing."

Her words instantly reminded him of what Nagato said, it was do or die. Although Asuka could never say it plainly, she was trying to show support. In her own morbid way, the reasoning was perfectly sound. If the world ended tomorrow, there was nothing that she could do anyway. Assuming things would carry on was the only option.

"So, who are you going to go with to the festival? Are you and Reina still fighting?" Asuka's face lunged forward, quite literally sticking her nose into his business.

"Kind of? I'm not sure."

"I can still meet you for a while at the festival. And there's always Noriko-chan if you're desperate." She had a sly smile plastered all over her face.

Mamoru sighed in response, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, alright. I was joking. I just thought since you would see her today—"

"Okay, I get it," Mamoru said, shaking his head.

He began to slightly regret staying at home in the lead up to the next convergence event. Asuka had moved out of residential college at her mother's request for the academic year. Which meant they travelled to campus together for the past few days. It was a necessary evil since being alone in this current condition would have been far worse.

It was hard to concentrate on any lectures knowing he had a possibly earth-shattering meeting in the afternoon. Despite the lapses, he followed along easily as the professors covered Nishida Kitaro's philosophy. With different combinations of courses each semester, it was easy to end up with a workload of entirely new topics, or ones that were all familiar. Mamoru was starting to see how Reina was able to breeze through specific exams. It was a good portion of the work already done if they had properly read the text before. Despite his urge to stay behind to ask his tutor some questions, Mamoru clamped down on his curiosity. Though it was not particularly difficult. All it required was embracing the overwhelming anxiety he was already struggling to keep at bay.

He wondered how he would have felt if these events had transpired six months ago. Would he have been even more off-balance because he had not given up on his grades just yet? From a certain perspective, it all seemed inevitable that his grades would have to take a hit. Inevitable from the moment he met Hagurumon. Now that he had emotionally accepted it, with some help from circumstance, it felt strange to be angry about something he could never have changed.

They had decided to meet on the grounds of To-ji temple near Kyoto central station. It would hardly be a surprise if it were to be the epicentre of their battle tomorrow, being sacred ground in the heart of Kyoto. As he walked from the station, the tall buildings of downtown Kyoto gave way to the machiya and shophouses of northern Minami ward. Even at some distance away, the five-storey To-ji pagoda was clearly visible over the low-rise skyline. By now, the general aesthetic of Buddhist temples and their grounds had become exceedingly familiar to Mamoru. It was easy to imagine the Heian period complex being more stunning in fall, its grounds predominantly decorated with maples and pines. While vibrant, the trees seemed exceedingly plain in their summer foliage.

Across the grounds, the distinctive figure of Noriko in Todoh's white and blue summer sailor fuku uniform stood out amongst the crowd. She was wildly gesticulating to Yasushi, single-handedly ruining the tranquil temple atmosphere.

"Could you stop disturbing the peace," Mamoru said dryly. It was remarkable that he had been able to approach them entirely unnoticed. "I'm surprised you the energy or mood to be like this."

"Senpai, it's important," Noriko replied, entirely unphased. "Yasushi is trying to talk me out of going to the Agata Festival."

Mamoru reflexively furled his eyebrows in a mixture of amazement and confusion. She either was doing an exceedingly good job of suppressing her anxiety, or she was genuinely preoccupied with the festival.

"What's the point?" Yasushi mumbled back. "I'm not going to bother."

"It's to enjoy ourselves," She acted as if her reason was infallible. Turning quickly to Mamoru, it was all too apparent what she was going to say next. "You're going with Reina-senpai, right?"

He only managed a sigh and a shake of his head.

"Great, that means we can go together," She said with an impish smile.

"Who said I was going…" As expected, Asuka's words were almost prophetic. Or more likely, Noriko was utterly predictable.

Yasushi grit his teeth in frustration before deciding to simply disengage, walking towards a nearby café to look at their menu.

Dealing with Digimon were difficult enough without Noriko making things needless complex. "Oi, are you using me to make him jealous or something?"

Noriko locked up at hearing such a harsh description of her actions. "I really do want to go with you."

"I'm sure you do," Mamoru replied in irritation. "but really, even after what happened at Yoshida…"

Her eyes shuffled around nervously, but she remained silent.

"I knew you weren't okay with Reina and me," Mamoru said, forcefully cutting through the web of social intrigue. He refused to be ensnared anymore, out of embarrassment or politeness.

"What do you mean?" While she claimed to be confused, her voice made it clear that she was worried.

"Do you really want to get into this now?" He continued to press his advantage with a glare.

Noriko held her breath as she continued to avoid his gaze. Her face contorted into a scowl as her cheeks and forehead went red. It made Mamoru feel uncomfortable, putting so much pressure on his kouhai. But he resolved to get it out of the way, for everyone's sake.

"How about we start by—"

"I hate it," Noriko finally spat out. As aggressive as it was, her anger started to visibly subside as she finished her words. "I thought if I talked you and Reina-senpai up more, I would get used to it… you know, just like with Digimon."

"You hate Digimon?"

She vigorously shook her head. "I was scared of them. Besides Lopmon, they were all terrifying."

Mamoru began to process her words as Noriko tried to organise her dissonant thoughts. Had it always been an act? All that excitement at encountering and possibly fighting Digimon. Watching Wisemon fight off multiple Digimon five years ago must have had an impact. Although he had no recollection of her presence, Noriko was definitely somewhere on the sidelines that day. It probably did more than just inspire her. That fight would have been like a dispelling of her fears.

"It's not all pretend." Noriko finally continued, trying to justify herself. "Which is even worse. I thought saying it until it was true would work on this as well. Once I found out you…" There was a slight sob from her.

The rational part of him found this to be an incredibly peculiar scenario. There was the unspoken truth that Mamoru did not have feelings for her. They both had acknowledged it without saying a word. Yet his emotional side felt as though he was guilty of brutally rejecting her.

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Mamoru finally said.

"Of course not!" Noriko insisted, wiping away a small tear. It seemed to be the last she would shed, her face steadily returning to its normal colour.

"So… you figured it out yourself. But it was hard to accept."

"You can put it that way. I was doing okay, until Wizardmon Digivolved."

There were plenty of implications, both symbolic and possibly practical since Digvolution was linked to their personalities and emotions. But Mamoru chose to sidestep it all. "You're your own person, Noriko. All because our Digimon have one stage in common, it doesn't mean anything."

"What's that supposed to mean? I know who I am." Noriko protested.

"Then be yourself," Mamoru said with a shrug.

"I am!"

A long weary sigh escaped his mouth, not wanting to continue this further. Their conversation's initial direction had seemed promising, but the effort and time necessary to push further were beyond him. At least for the moment. There was always the risk that he could unsettle her before the battle tomorrow instead of helping things.

The others began to steadily filter in, keeping to themselves. The tension was almost palpable as it hung in the air between all of them. The temple grounds' splendour did nothing to dampen it, their unspoken conflict seeming to dissipate the Zen atmosphere. Thankfully, it did not seem to be primed to explode, remaining a stagnant shackle on their moods but nothing more.

Although Mamoru was not sure how they would identify who they were supposed to be meeting, it became obvious once he caught sight of an unlikely trio approaching from the car park. The lead man wore an unassuming black-grey suit and a blue tie, though the way he carried himself was incredibly casual. His hair was extremely unruly, and his blazer remained unbuttoned as he walked towards them.

By itself, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet his two companions in their casual dress made it clear that they were anything but ordinary. The lady behind him was dressed fashionably in wide flared pants, a sleek floral-patterned blouse and a denim-like jacket. The other man stood out even more with his blond straw hair and navy bomber jacket. It was covered with multiple patches, which Mamoru assumed were just decorative, filled with meaningless English phrases. But it became clear as they drew closer that his jacket was not only a fashion statement.

"Hey, Yasushi," Mamoru said softly, "Do you know what those patches are on that blond guy's jacket?"

He was the most likely person to happen to have this knowledge lying around. Mamoru was only able to figure out that he had a romaji name tag.

"Looks like a bunch of JAXA patches," Yasushi said, intrigued as well. "I think the one on his right shoulder is for the Nozomi II mission."

"Nozomi?"

"Oh, it's not a girl's name. It's a new Mars orbiter they're planning to launch a few years from now."

Mamoru nodded along, getting the rough idea of what he was looking at. Despite looking more at home in a light music band, he seemed to be an actual aerospace engineer. The Kyoto DigiDestined began to huddle together to meet the trio that approached them.

"Nice to meet you guys," Despite his business wear, the man in the lead did not bother with any formalities. "I'm Yagami Taichi. My sister told me about what happened in spring."

They seemed to be like the other DigiDestined they had met, eschewing formality unless it was absolutely needed. Though it was difficult for the Kyoto group to do the same. Taichi and his friends appeared at least just as old as Koshiro and Mimi.

There was a wave of introductions from the group. By now, it had become another familiar process, repeating each time they met more people from Koshiro's vast network. Though this time it was laced with a tremendous undercurrent of melancholy in addition to their usual shyness.

"Are you guys, alright? We're not that intimidating right?" Taichi said with a puzzled look. Before someone could cough up a reply, he decided to continue anyway. "I guess I should introduce the others. This is Takenouchi Sora, she is an ikebana professional."

Natsuki should have had some visible reaction at discovering this, but she just continued to look at them with a blank expression and nodded along.

"And this guy over here," Taichi continued, wrapping his arm around the blond man's neck, causing him visible irritation. "He may look more like a rock star—well, he _was_ a rock star—but he's actually a rocket scientist."

"Taichi," His protest sounded almost like a growl. "My name is Ishida Yamato, I'm an spacecraft engineer with JAXA."

"Yeah," Taichi said, taking over again. "He's the guy that's been putting all the satellites into orbit."

From behind, Sora looked fed up but amused at Taichi's statements. The subtly of her reaction seemed to indicate this was all familiar territory for them.

"Rock Star?" Noriko said hesitantly, the only one vocal about her confusion.

"I'm not kidding," Taichi seemed to be invigorated by their curiosity, much to Yamato's annoyance. "He was on TV and everything in high school. But I remember Digimon disrupted the concert or something."

"Then why did you become an engineer?" The answer had only made Noriko more confused.

"His music career didn't work out," Taichi laughed. "So, it was either this or join the JSDF."

"Taichi!" Yamato's tone was definitely a growl this time. He quickly suppressed his irritation to give a less frivolous response. "My Digimon partner actually inspired me. His mega stage was a robotic wolf, but he could also fly. It got me interested in mechanics and aeronautics."

"He was just too shy to admit to us that he liked studying these things," Sora said, teasing him with a bright smile. "Even in university, he insisted his degree was just to get a job."

The tension seemed to ease slightly at the tangent their conversation had gone on. But it was impossible to forget the real reason they were all here.

"Are you guys hungry?" Taichi interrupted, seemingly oblivious to their mood. Some of them slowly shook their heads, still unsure how to respond. "Oh, you all had a late lunch?"

"I haven't eaten today," Mumbled Natsuki, her words failing to reach the older trio. A few concerned looks were sent her way, but no one went any further.

"Do you mind if I grab some Dango? I didn't get to eat before I got on the Shinkansen."

The Kyoto group could only mumble in something that sounded vaguely like agreement. There was another sigh from Sora and Yamato as they flicked their hands as a gesture for him to go on. Taichi overwhelmingly reminded him of Daisuke, or perhaps it was the other way around since the person in front of them was clearly older.

"Sorry he's like that," Sora said, putting on her warmest smile. "Sometimes he forgets he's a supposed to be a civil servant."

"And an adult," Yamato added on.

"Well, it's not like we really feel like adults either." She said, trying to be generous. It appeared to work, causing the blond man to relent with a sigh.

"Umm, Yamato-san, Sora-san," Natsuki had surprisingly asked the first question. "how come you guys can't stay until tomorrow?"

It was like a child asking their parents why they had to send them out on their own. Though Mamoru would have been lying if he were not feeling the same thing. It was apparent they all were.

"We can't fight anymore," Sora had an apologetic smile.

"But you could give us advice or help direct the battle," Nagato added.

The others that were usually vocal were strangely silent. It only served as a reminder that they were completely thrown off by this whole ordeal.

"Hmm," Sora had her hand raised to her chin in thought. "The moral support is important. Though I'm not sure what else we can do since we don't know you guys very well or what you all are capable of."

"We can't." Yamato interrupted. "I have to be at Kagoshima tomorrow for the satellite launch. It's the last one before the butterfly system is complete."

"Maybe Taichi might be able to stay." Sora mused. "He is supposed to visit Tottori, but that's hardly a necessity."

"What about you? Your dad has room for you in Kyoto, right?"

Sora gave the others a furtive glance before giving a reluctant answer. "We're… not on the best terms now. You know, the fashion thing."

Yamato replied with only a nod to avoid divulging more of their personal woes. Taichi sauntered back towards the group, a Dango skewer in hand.

"So, what did I miss?" His mouth was still half full as he spoke.

"They would like one of us to stay," Sora said.

"You're the only one that's free," Yamato continued directly.

"I'm not sure Nishijima-sensei will let me—"

"—He let you go off to Tottori," Yamato immediately retorted. "We all know its not really for work."

"It is! I need to make sure they're all prepared there for tomorrow."

"But you're confident that the other DigiDestined across Japan will just be alright?"

Taichi glanced towards the Kyoto group who had been observing their back and forth silently. "Alright, alright. Let me call Mei to tell her."

They waited awkwardly as Taichi's call began, shuffling around waiting for him to finish. As it dragged on, Yasushi finally decided to speak his mind. "What's going on?"

"He was going to meet his girlfriend," Yamato said dryly.

There was a twitch in Nagato's expression. "How can he be thinking of something like that right now."

"You guys are really shaken up, huh?" Yamato replied nonchalantly as he rubbed his head.

"I guess we are a bit too casual," Sora's friendly tone made it impossible for the Kyoto DigiDestined to impress upon them how much of an understatement that was.

"This is what, the fifth time the world is ending?" There was a mild irritation in Yamato's words.

"Sixth if you count Nishijima-sensei and director Himekawa's adventure." Taichi interrupted.

"That's not what I meant," Yasushi said, seeing an opportunity to get more help. "What are the other DigiDestined doing? Could they come down to help us?"

"Well, they've got to handle the Digimon that are going to appear in their own cities," Taichi said with a weary smile before turning to Yamato and Sora. "I don't think Mei was pleased, but it's hard to tell with her always being so calm."

"Nothing flowers won't solve." Sora shrugged.

"She'll be fine," Yamato continued. "She can lead the DigiDestined in Tottori, even if they are basically kids."

"So, this really is a global event," Yasushi mumbled.

There were subtle nods from the older trio before Taichi cracked a confident smile. "The other DigiDestined can't physically fight next to you guys, but they're not letting you handle this alone. I guess we never did update all of you on the progress of the D-4 Project."

Mamoru's eyes widened at hearing this; he had almost forgotten about the project entirely. Aside from the odd reports of Digimon appearances elsewhere, it seemed like they were the only ones in a sea of monsters.

"How many other D-4 Digivices did you guys distribute?" Mamoru said, excitement returning to his voice.

"Close to a hundred." Taichi grinned. "The rollout was mainly in Japan, but there are enough of them around the world too. They'll deal with the Digimon that appear near them, but it's up to us to handle the big guys."

Their spirits began to rise, a gleam returning to some of their eyes. Nagato's posture straightened, rising back to his usual imposing figure from being perpetually hunched over. However, Kodai remained unchanged. No doubt, he was preoccupied with the fact their situation was still the same. They were still physically on their own, even if they had gained moral support in the form of Taichi and the others.

"Taichi-san," Kodai said. It lacked his usual boldness, sounded more like a prelude to a lament. "Why is this happening? When it was just the virus, I just thought it was something natural that happened from time to time. But those demon lord Digimon?"

While it was a good question, it seemed distinctly like looking for a method to the madness. In a way, Mamoru realised he was lucky not to have been invested in the D-4 Project from the outset. He could not have been bothered by why things were happening. It was just an obstruction to his life. If he had gone looking for a cause to the Digimon appearances, it would have consumed him the more they discovered.

The three older DigiDestined seemed to ponder the question for a moment. That made it clear that they did not know a cause of this whole conflict for certain. They could only speculate like the rest of them.

Taichi finally answered with a shrug. "Who knows? When it comes to Digimon, they are a force of nature."

"But, they're literal demons. That means something, right?" Kodai replied.

"It doesn't make them evil," Yamato answer instead. "At least the way we understand it. Digimon are just based on data that humans created."

"I'm pretty sure they want to take over the Digital World or something," Yasushi murmured.

"They probably do," Yamato conceded. "But who knows what it means to them. Imagine Digimon trying to comprehend all the squabbling that goes on between humans. Or the fighting that sometimes happens. It's literally alien."

"Then how do we know we're doing the right thing? That the cost is worth it." Kodai asked.

It was now Mamoru who spoke up. "Digimon are alive, so we have at least that in common. They also definitely feel pain. Just taking that as a minimum, we can build back up to a lot of basic human ethics. Definitely not good and evil, but those ideas don't really exist in humans either."

"Spoken like an out of touch philosophy student," Noriko sniggered.

Mamoru replied with an intense glare. The one time his studies were actually helpful, and she had to bring out a jab like that.

"Deep stuff aside," Taichi said, "People could be hurt. Every Digimon infected is also being driven berserk against their will. I think that's enough for us to be confident in what we're doing."

The answer still seemed unsatisfactory to Kodai. He likely wanted to know the cause of it to prevent it from happening. Proactivity was commendable, but it was like dealing with a tsunami. Preparations could be made, and warning systems put in place, but it was impossible to prevent it from actually occurring.

"It's not in vain. The alternative would be just letting it happen, which is even worse." Mamoru said, trying to reassure Kodai in a strange reversal of roles.

"Anyway, I'll be here tomorrow. I'll see how I can help," Taichi said. "We're still not sure of the exact time the convergence event will happen, but its best to be up early."

"We'll have to skip school?" Natsuki timidly asked.

"Yup," He was entirely unphased. "Should be fun."

The university students had no issues with this, having gotten used to their very porous and almost unstructured schedules. Noriko should have been the most uncomfortable as Todoh's student council president, but she looked almost excited at the prospect of ditching. It only reinforced the idea that electing her was a questionable choice.

"As you all might have guessed," Taichi continued. "To-ji temple is where the fight is going to be. Everyone needs to be here by early morning, and you all should pack food for the rest of the day."

"So we're just going to stand around here all day waiting for Azulongmon to show up?" Noriko returned to her ever so petulant tone.

"There'll be a brewing thunderstorm as the convergence starts. Maybe you'll get to see the Digital World reflected in the sky too." Taichi's casual tone at describing something so unnatural mildly unnerved them again. "It'll take a while to build up, so there still will be time to make some last-minute movements. But I think its better to just avoid the panicked rushing around and just wait here."

"Your sure it won't happen at night or something?" Yasushi asked.

"Nope. It's the summer convergence, it won't happen without the sun." There was an intuitive sense to Taichi's answer, although it would not pass any formal logic test.

"Do we need to defeat Azulongmon to end this?" Nagato followed up. It seemed like that would be an impossible feat if the original DigiDestined had previously failed.

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Taichi said, turning to Yamato for his input.

"The butterfly system can repair the barrier between our world and the Digital World once it's fully operational. It won't be perfect, but it never was since Digimon always get through from time to time."

"So we just need to push Azulongmon back into the Digital World?"

"Either that or destroy the virus in him." Taichi replied. "We've been working on some stuff, but Jou and Koshiro said they need until tomorrow to finalise it. Don't worry about the details, we'll have it ready by then. Since I'm staying, I can transfer the program to you guys directly instead of through the D-4 Network."

There was more idle conversation, but all their substantial questions had been answered. It was refreshing to see Natsuki and Sora now having a lively discussion about Ikebana. The worry seemed to almost melt away when he focused on following their mundane conversation. There were still some unanswered things, but they were no longer pressing since Taichi would be present to answer them tomorrow.

With little left to discuss, they gradually departed, piecemeal like they had come. Yamato and Sora headed directly for the Shinkansen towards Kagoshima. They turned down Noriko's invitation to the Agata Festival although it sounded appealing to them. That left the four Uji residents riding together on the Nara Line back towards their homes.

"So, is anyone else going to go to the festival?" Noriko said, breaking the uneasy silence on the train car.

"Might as well, since we're already outside." Yasushi nonchalantly replied.

The corners of Noriko's mouth rose in the semblance of a smile, but she quickly suppressed it. It was evidently not worth the risk of putting Yasushi off to justify her usual big display of emotion. Mamoru gave a reserved nod, still unsure of what they were planning to do if they actually went.

"Reina-senpai?" Noriko asked, attempting to blend an upbeat optimism with caution.

"Is there really anything to do?" She mumbled.

"You like the candied apples," Mamoru replied.

"I don't really feel like I have much of a sweet tooth now."

"Sugar makes everything better!" Noriko had the voice of a kid again, excited at the chance to stuff herself with sweets.

The childish yet earnest remark forced a smile out of Reina, though a sadness remained in her eyes. "Can we avoid the crowds?"

"Of course! Why don't we go to Daikichiyama after we grab some food?" Noriko was now kicking her legs in the air in front of her seat, clearly happy that things had worked out in her favour. "I got to go home first, though!"

"Thanks for ruining the mood," Yasushi mumbled.

"I want to change into my yukata." Noriko anticipated the incoming rebuke about her vanity and quickly continued. "I also got to get by brother."

"Isn't he old enough to go to the festival on his own?"

"Parents want me to bring him." She shrugged. "You can come to my house if you want to. Our senpais can go ahead first."

There was a flicker of confusion across Yasushi's face until he registered what Noriko was trying to do.

"Can we all come?" Mamoru said, trying to extricate himself from Noriko's hastily constructed trap.

"Too many people," Noriko said, lying through her teeth. "We're not getting food anyway. So it'll be faster if we split up. Got to sleep early for tomorrow."

Yasushi received an elbow to the ribs as he tried to protest. The boy was clearly looking forward to some street food. It was not worth the energy to continue arguing with Noriko. Despite Mamoru's irritation, a larger part of him was happy that she was back to her old self.

Alighting at the Keihan Uji station on the north side of the river, Mamoru and Reina stood awkwardly as they watched the train they were on depart, carrying an impishly smiling Noriko off into the dusk. They walked in silence, crossing the Uji bridge and immediately turning south towards Agata Shrine.

The streets were lined with temporary stores selling everything from Takoyaki to Yakisoba. There was the distinct sound of clacking as girls wearing wooden Geta sandals with their yukata walked about. Mamoru felt out of place in his shabby shorts and t-shirt. The festival was a sea of people dressed up as nicely as summer would allow. Reina faired much better, her jeans and lavender cardigan allowing her to blend in.

They went about their shopping, almost mechanically, communicating their intent with just a few murmurs. Reina was the first to find what she wanted, getting a ruby-red candied apply and an Osaka style okonomiyaki. It was not long before Mamoru found a yakitori stand and ordered a handful of skewers.

"Of course, you would get that," Reina mumbled as they began to walk towards Asagiri Bridge to cross towards Daikichiyama.

"Mamoru! Reina!" A voice called from behind.

He sighed, knowing exactly who it was. Her red-rimmed spectacles matched a scarlet yukata.

"Have fun you two!" Asuka shouted, giving them an exaggerated wink and a thumbs up. "Kaori and Haruka are waiting for me. I'll see you around!"

Reina waved back bashfully. It was a good thing that Asuka was quite some distance away. She would have definitely teased them more if she could see the apparent flush on Reina's face. They resumed their silent journey, the lights around them dimming as they moved away from the festival towards the darkness of Mount Daikichi.

Mamoru had not been here recently, having sacrificed his weekend walks to study. Even though he relented on his grades, he was not willing to just write them off entirely. Ultimately, something had to give, and leisure activities were also axed to make up for the time spent on Digimon. It was strange coming back to where all this had begun.

"Noriko and Yasushi aren't going to be here for some time," Mamoru said as they continued up the path.

"They said they would be coming directly here," Reina responded.

"Come on, you know she was lying. Yasushi definitely wants to get food. I know you haven't met her brother before, but he'll protest if they come here empty-handed."

"So what's your point?" Reina said hesitantly as they arrived at the observation deck.

"I guess we have some time to talk?" She seemed to be in a good enough mood, and now was a good a time as any.

They sat down on the bench under the pavilion overlooking the Uji River. The gleaming lights of the festival on the opposite bank looked like tiny fireflies playing in the distance. The Summer Triangle was easily visible, high in the night sky.

"You want to ask me to fight tomorrow." She huffed.

While it was a bad start, she was at least only irritated by the prospect of that topic. A significant improvement from how charged all their previous conversations had been.

"Actually, no," Mamoru said, maintaining a gentle tone. "I think that's for you to choose. Either way, I'm going to give everything I have tomorrow."

"You really know how to make me feel guilty," Reina said, drawing circles with her foot again. This time, the concrete floor of the pavilion left no traces of her sketch.

"You do too,"

"Kind of funny, huh? We both make each other feel terrible." She leaned back, using her arms to prop her up.

"I don't think it has to be that way." Mamoru made an effort to maintain eye contact. It seemed hollow to have an entire conversation while just staring into the sky.

"It wasn't always like this, right?"

"That day in autumn was nice—until we were attacked by a swarm of Digimon."

Reina mildly chuckled at his sudden change of tone. "When you think about it, we've actually been at odds for long than when it was pleasant between us."

"Occupational hazard, I suppose," Mamoru said, trying to maintain a lighter atmosphere.

"Maybe what everyone else was saying just got to our heads." She sighed. "I didn't want to believe all of Asuka's teasing. And after what's happened, it does kind of feel like they were just egging us on for their own entertainment."

"Hmm… if that were true, we would have just cut everything by now. We wouldn't be fighting so hard. Or we would be able to complete ignore what they were saying."

"Long silences aren't really a fight. Are they? It's more like thinking of what to do."

"You know," Mamoru said, feeling the blood rush to his face. "It doesn't have to be a yes or no answer. Not immediately anyway."

"Oh?" Reina said, sitting upright again.

"Once this is over, we could, you know…" Mamoru tried to force the words out, but it proved too difficult to say.

She looked at him intently, no doubt smiling because of the extreme flush on his face. "We could try dating?"

"—yeah." Mamoru finally spat out, releasing a tremendous sigh in relief that she was on the same page.

"I'm surprised that you can still say something like that after all the things I said."

"I could say the same thing. I'm sorry I assumed that I understood what you were going through."

"You kind of did," The warmth had return to Reina's expression, sending waves of nostalgia through his mind. "Of course, not entirely. But I was a bit harsh."

There was a brief pause as Mamoru summoned the courage to ask the other question hanging in the air. "Did you find a solution to your fighting paradox? I want to help, even if it won't be in time for the battle."

"I thought about it…" her hand unconsciously grasped the Digivice in her pocket tightly. "I guess it's the same thing you came up with."

Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "What solution is that?"

"You gave up what you loved because this is what you had to do. For me, it was choosing what I loved more, myself or everyone else."

"That's a harsh way to put it…" he started to drum his fingers on the bench, unsure of how to proceed.

"Like you said, it's similar but not the same. How I managed to stomach fighting before was by blocking out how it felt. That's more Kodai's style, ignoring his own fear. I did it by embracing another emotion."

"You hate other people getting hurt."

"It's not a perfect answer. But its what works for now. I still think I'm right, and all this fighting is terrible. But if me suffering means that it will be much less painful for everyone else, I should do it. It's not like I can pretend I don't care."

It was a lot to take in, Reina sounding like she was ready to martyr herself if it became necessary. That he could understand perfectly. "It reminds me of one of the philosophy texts I read last semester. That a good person does many acts for the sake of his friends, and if necessary, dies for them."

Reina jolted up at the extreme words Mamoru used.

"It was more of a quote." He hastily said. "No one is going to die tomorrow. But what I meant was that the person who sacrifices what they treasure gains nobility in return."

"Is that what finally convinced you to make the choice?" She said with a smirk.

"Before you laugh, there's an irony to it. A sacrifice is supposed to be selfless, but in this case, you gain something greater. Even if it's an intangible virtue, most philosophers would say that it's more important than any other possession you can have."

"You're still doubting if we're doing this for the right reasons?"

"I guess…" Mamoru tried to recall what had spurred him to action over the past few months. "The only time I felt like things were worth it is when we saved people. Maybe that's why fighting at Kiyomizu-dera felt so hollow. It didn't feel like anyone was in danger other than us."

"I guess there is something shallow about fighting to save yourself. Even if it is the human thing to do."

As Reina leaned back again, she stretched her arms out to support herself. Her palm landed on top of Mamoru's, sending a jolt towards his body. But her expected swift withdrawal never came, just letting her hand rest on top of his.

"Tomorrow…" She murmured.

"It'll be okay," He said, his words trailing off into the night.


End file.
